A Princess' Plan
by Neonlights
Summary: Rewrite. Serena realises early on who she truly is, and what her destiny is. She gathers the scouts to her without telling them who she is. This time, she will make sure things are different. She WILL defeat the darkness. She WIll save her friends. au S/D AN: IM NOT DEAD!
1. A heroine is awakened

**Hi all! This is a redux of my original story Princess Plan. I may change the name; so keep an eye on my profile for updates.**

**This is mainly because I wasn't happy with the first version, and my writing has matured over the last few years, so once an anonymous reviewer named lala mentioned that my story had great potential and didn't actually go anywhere with a lot of it I agreed. Hence, this.**

**Please remember this is an AU story, and hence, I get to change things. Like, for example, everyone's age. They're all a few years older at the start, about sixteen for the girls, eighteen or older for the guys. You'll see what else I change! If you were a reader of the old story, then I hope you will find this a better, fuller and more adult version.**

**So, here we begin.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: A hero is awakened**

Serena Usagi Tsukino sipped her cold orange juice and frowned thoughtfully before running a slim hand through tousled blond hair. It was still dark outside, the pale dark just before dawn, but still dark and she reflected that it wasn't everyday that she was up before her mother. Hell, it wasn't _any_ day that she was up before her mother, but her sleep had been disturbed and she had been thirsty.

Her frown deepened as she recalled the dream that had woken her.

No. Not a dream.

A nightmare.

A voice had called to her from the darkness. It was deep, male, and pleading. It had been cut off, mid cry, and she had seen flashes through fog of women, well, girls, really, dressed in clothes that looked like they belonged in anime… or in a porn movie. They had all had different colours; all represented something different she was sure of that, though she didn't know what it might be. They had been fighting something. Something huge, dark, and nameless.

She shuddered. Something terrible had happened to those girls. She was sure of it.

And she had seen herself, too, through the fog. The other self had been crying, weeping and staggering away from something. She had been wearing a dress that she had never worn or even seen before; white, long and elegant with little puff sleeves and gold embroidery on the bodice. The dress of a true princess.

The now empty glass almost slipped from her grasp. _Princess?_ Why did that thought make her so cold?

She found herself at the kitchen window, staring at the moon as it sank below the horizon and made way for dawn.

The moon. That was where she had been. Her older self… her other self? Was it another her, or someone who looked like her? She pondered that for a moment, still watching the moon set.

Whoever the girl that looked like her was, she had been friends with the girls wearing the strange outfits. The Sailor Scouts. She started in recognition as she thought of that, the name of the team flitting through her conscious like a butterfly.

Yes… yes… she had been that person she had seen, long ago, and the Sailor Scouts had been her friends. And her mother had been Queen. Yes… she had been a princess.

A wry smile twisted her face. Typical, she was a princess, every girls dream, and yet the idea filled her with nothing but fear. Why? She frowned again. What had happened to make her feel this way? The evil dark from her dream?

_But that was a long time ago. _She reassured herself. _Its just a dream about a past life, if that. Just my imagination, even._

And yet, she felt as if there was something she needed to do. Something connected to that long ago person. Something very important.

_What? What? What?_

With a sigh she rinsed her glass. There was no use worrying about it now. Especially since it was early morning and she was hungry. She cast her eye around the kitchen, knowing that in a few minutes her mother would be up and making a lovely breakfast that she could enjoy for once. But she felt restless, and decided that waiting wouldn't work for her today.

She crept back upstairs and dressed, spent a few minutes applying more than her usual make up (she had to hide the bags under eyes somehow) and pulled her long golden hair into its usual twin buns.

After leaving a quick good-morning note to her parents she strode out the door, book bag in hand. She loved Tokyo at this time of day, not that she got to see it much. Sleep was just too precious to her to be out often at this time. She watched as the morning traffic, now only trickles of cars and bikes, slowly got thicker as the day progressed. She headed for her favourite bakery in the mall, hoping to get a muffin for breakfast, in a gentle wander, unconcerned about being late, for once.

She was almost at the bakery when something happened. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe. There was a pounding in her head, and she was somewhere else, watching as a _monster _threatened her friend Molly. She heard her best friends scream, and collapsed to her knees.

The monster felt exactly the same as the darkness in her dream.

_How is this possible? No! What am I thinking? I've got to help Molly!_

She staggered to her feet, ignoring startled looks from passersby and ran back the way she had come, towards Molly's mothers shop, Osa-P.

Just as she reached the shop, the glass plate windows exploded in her face with an earth shattering noise. She shrieked and ducked sideways; catching a glimpse of the monster she had seen in her vision a few seconds previous. It had its hand wrapped around Molly's throat.

_Goddamnit! _She snarled to herself, _how the hell am I supposed to help her against that? _

A vision of the girls from her dream came to her. The uniforms, the Sailor Scout Uniforms. She had to become something like that!

Inwardly, the part of her that was free to comment on such things rebelled against wearing the fan-service outfit.

Outwardly she looked desperately around for an idea to help her become one of the Sailor warriors she had seen in her dream.

"How?" she cried desperately, tears running down her cheeks. "What do I do?"

Here she was, useless as Molly was dying!

The answer came unbidden, from somewhere deep inside her.

_**Hold out your hand. **_

She did so and stared in amazement at the small drop of blood in her palm. She had been cut in several places by the glass, but something about her hand...

The tiny drop of blood glowed and there was a golden flash, and she blinked back stars. There, resting in her hands was a long, silver staff. At its head there were two intricately carved wings, between which nestled a crescent moon with its two points curving so tightly that they almost touched. The neck and body of the staff where covered in a gold, copper and silver braid that twisted around and around to the very base of the staff where there was a vicious point.

"Wow!" She breathed. Somehow, she had made herself a tool to use in this battle... but how?

_**Sailor Sceptre Power.**_

Again the voice from deep inside her. She obeyed it without hesitation this time,

"Here goes nothing! Sailor Sceptre Power!"

Tiny white lights appeared at the moon on her staff before floating quickly to her. One hit her stomach, and her white school shirt changed to a white bathing suit-like top with a wide white collar. Another hit her hip and her school skirt morphed into a shorter, heavier version, but remained the same colour. Another light touched her bow, and it too morphed into a darker red and slightly bigger bow. A light for each hand, and she was wearing white gloves with red and blue braid at the cuff. Another light hit her back, and another bow appeared, its tails reaching to the ground. A light for each leg, and deep red stiletto boots emerged with silver crescent moons on each. A light at her neck morphed into a red choker with a silver crescent moon in the centre. A final light for her forehead and a silver tiara appeared with a blood red gem in its centre.

Sailor Moon looked down at herself and grinned, before frowning again. With the transformation had come many memories. Memories she would have to think about later, she realised before turning back to Osa-P. She ran at the building, leaping through a broken window and landing easily, even on the glass that was everywhere. She took the situation in at a glance.

Molly's mother was lying on the floor, unconscious. Molly herself was still struggling in the grip of the monster, a strange purple creature with withered skin and terrifyingly glowing but dark eyes.

There was a man there too, and she paused to try and place where he stood in this strange tableau. He wore a dinner jacket, a mask and a cape, all pure black. Her wielded a cane like a sword and darted in to strike at the distracted monster even a she watched. His speed was impressive, she thought, but knew somehow she could do better.

"Oi!" she yelled to get the monsters attention, and it turned. So did the man in the tux. They beheld a young woman, wearing a strange mix of school uniform and cosplay. She held in one hand a sceptre as long as her arm. In the other was a glowing disc.

"Who the devil are you?" demanded the monster.

"My name is Sailor Moon. This place is a place to shop and have fun. I won't forgive you for ruining it, nor will I forgive you for hurting innocents!"

The man remained silent, seemingly puzzled by her entrance, but the monster laughed. "Sailor Moon? Never heard of you. Never will again, either. Arise, my minions! Serve the Negaverse!"

Sailor Moon watched in horror as Molly's mother slowly began to shift, and climbed to her feet. She was joined by a man in a cleaners' uniform. Their eyes were hollow, and they moved towards her.

_Oh, great. Zombies. _

Sailor Moon sucked in a deep breath, and threw the disc.

"Moon Tiara Slice!" the glowing disc flew straight and true, straight over the heads of the two controlled humans and through the arm of the beast before lodging in the wall behind them. Molly and the severed arm dropped to the floor.

By that time, Molly's mother and the cleaner were on her. She ducked reaching hands and began to whine.

"This isn't fair! Where are my guardians who are supposed to help me with this?" among her new memories were the two guardian cats of the Moon.

She rolled away from a swipe and came up with a kick, winding the cleaner.

"Sorry! But seriously, I get to do this all..."

She leapt over molly's mum.

"...By..."

She ducked under the swinging blow of the creature.

"...Myself!"

Sailor Moon raised her sceptre and planted the sharp end in the zombie's eye with all the strength she could manage.

It screamed, the sceptre flashed a bright white light... and it was gone. Nothing remained but a pile of dust, and even as she and the silent man watched, it too vanished. And the feeling that she had felt since that morning, the need to do something, vanished with it.

"Hah! Done and dusted! Moon dusted, that is." Sailor Moon cried jovially as she approached the wall and wrenched her tiara from its spot. She placed it back on her forehead and turned to see the man in the tux standing in one of the high windows of the shop, silhouetted against the new sun.

"And who are you when you're at home?" she asked, still in that same bright voice.

He looked down at her for a few seconds before bowing. "My name is Tuxedo Mask. You fought well, Sailor Moon. And you are not on your own."

He disappeared out into the street.

Sailor Moon stared after him for several seconds, lost in thought. She had no memory of a man in a tux. But he had been wearing a strange jewel hanging from his bowtie that she felt she should know. Not to mention the man was seriously hot!

But her thoughts turned quickly to the memories that had swarmed back to her when she transformed.

Serenity. That was her name. Princess Serenity of Lunaria.

She felt grief bubble up inside her. The kingdom of Lunaria was long gone, so long gone that people on earth had forgotten her. And now here she was, fighting the same foes that had destroyed her home in her new life on earth.

The Negaverse. The named filled her with dread and pain. She remembered each of the Sailor Scouts now; her dear friends had died protecting her and her mother. And her mother had died sending them forwards in time... to now. This place. This time.

"I guess I have to find the others." She muttered. But there was still so much she didn't know. Who was the man that called to her? How had she died? Had she been alone? Had she been fighting? How would she fight now? That monster... no, nega-creature had been fairly easy to defeat, but surely that wasn't the most powerful creature the Negaverse had to offer? She would need the other Scouts in order to fight. She couldn't rely on the masked man, especially since she didn't know who he was in relation to her.

These musings were cut short by a low groan from Molly. Sailor Moon jumped, startled, and quickly left the shop the way she had come. The street was surprisingly empty, but even so she hid behind a dumpster in an alley to return to her normal self.

After that, she continued on her way to school, deep in thought.

So deep, in fact, that she didn't notice the confrontation until she was almost in the middle of it.

"But I don't h-have any money!" said a small, timid voice.

Serena looked up and stopped. Just in front of her stood three of the burliest boys in school. They had surrounded a girl a little shorter than Serena. She was currently clutching her bag to her chest and pressing herself into a garden wall as if she was trying to sink into it.

"Yeah right!" leered one of the boys.

Another snorted, "Get her, Jin!"

The one in the middle laughed in a cruel way and lunged. The blue haired girl squeaked and slipped as she tried to duck, and ended up on her rear on the pavement. Jin snatched her bad away, dealing her a nasty slap when she tried to hold on to it.

"We'll take whatever she's got and spend it ourselves!" he declared, and began to sift through the bag.

Serena had had enough.

She stepped up to Jin, moving easily between his two cronies and on one swift movement snatched the bag back from him and gave him a shove.

He staggered backwards, his beefy face registering nothing but shock.

"I wonder what our school boss would say when he finds out three of his lesser gang members was taking money from kids and not paying him his dues?" she asked quietly before they could react.

Jin went red and his two followers went white.

Serena pulled out her phone, "Hayate and I are friends. He owes me a couple favours. I'm sure he'd listen to me..." she trailed off.

Jin glared at her, but he was stuck and he knew it. Serena Tsukino was one of the few people in the school that Hayate had declared a no-go-zone. No one knew why, but now, looking into her deep sky blue eyes he felt sure it was because Hayate was as scared of her as he was currently. There was something deep and unfathomable in those eyes. Something more than a little bit frightening.

He grunted at the other two; "Let's go."

They followed silently. Serena watched them until they disappeared around a corner and turned to the girl as she bent to pick up some of the items that had fallen out of the girl's bag in the jostling.

"You must be new here, Miss Mizuno." She commented, "After a while everyone gets to recognise the local rats and keep away from them."

"H-how d-did you know my name?"

Serena grinned and held up the calculator she had just retrieved. On it Amy Mizuno was written quite clearly in a neat and precise hand.

She laughed at the look on Amy's face and handed her the bag back.

"So they'll leave you alone from now on, but you better watch out for others. You can tell who they are by their jacket lapels; they all wear a red bird brooch." She held up a hand to imitate where the boys wore their gang symbol.

Amy nodded, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Said Serena easily, "Say, what uniform is that?" Amy's uniform was similar to hers, but pale blue instead of dark and green instead of red.

"Bridstone Academy."

Serena started, "The brain farm? Whoops, sorry, that's what we call that place around here. What on earth are you doing here anyway? It's miles away!"

Amy went red from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, "My mother moved. I'm starting at a new school today. Crossroads Junior High. Except I've gotten lost."

Serena's grin returned full force. "I'd say. You're about five blocks away from it and facing the wrong direction."

Amy's look of dejection was hilarious, and Serena couldn't help but chuckle a little, reining it in so she didn't offend the girl.

"Come on. I can show you the way. I go to Crossroads. So do those three bullies, by the way."

"Oh dear." Said Amy as they began walking.

"You'll be fine. All you have to do is say the name Hayate and they'll go running, but like I said, you shouldn't have a problem with them anymore."

"I hope so."

"So Bridstone, huh? I don't think there's anyone around here who could live up to what you must be able to do. Me, I get confused when there are more than two numbers in any given sum." She grinned, showing that it didn't bother her in the slightest, and Amy wondered who on earth this strangely pretty and odd person was.

"Oh, there's Melvin. He might give you a run for your money in math. But he's a weirdo so don't get your hopes up." She shuddered dramatically.

"Melvin?" for the first time, Amy showed a hint of a smile. Serena grinned,

"Yeah, I know. Great name. Mine's Serena, by the way. Serena Tsukino."

Amy held out her hand primly. A little bemused, Serena shook. "Nice to meet you." Amy said formally. Serena grinned, "Don't do that to everyone here, our manners aren't as pretty as yours, I'm afraid and people will think you're odd if you go around doing that."

"Oh dear." Amy said again.

"So yes, stay away from Melvin. That shouldn't be too hard. He spends all his time chasing me or Molly."

Amy noticed Serena frown briefly as she mentioned Molly.

"Who is Molly?"

"Oh, she's one of my best friends. Her mum owns an awesome jewellery store, back that way."

Amy felt a pang of longing. She'd never had a best friend. She'd never even had a proper friend. She was too boring for friends.

"Do you need a friend, Amy? You kinda look like you do. No offence or anything, but you look a little down."

Amy started at the gentle voice. How many ways could this girl speak? How many emotions could she show in her eyes? In the few scant minutes she'd known her, Serena had gone from threatening to teasing, from jocular to serious and now her eyes were showing compassion.

"Yes!" Amy blurted before she could stop herself. "Yes, I'd like a friend!"

Serena linked arms with her. "Then look no further! I will be a very good friend. I sit with you at lunch and introduce you to everyone, not that I'm bragging, but I'll know everyone at school and can I copy your homework? Oh and I can't wait to show you around school and afterwards the arcade and mall, and the park, it's really beautiful...."

Neither girl noticed a small black cat following them, flitting from shadow to shadow. This girl definitely did not act like the Sailor Scout of the Moon should act. But the cat's memories of events on the moon were hazy, and she could not call Sailor Moon from ancient kingdom to mind. And she could not refute the evidence of her own eyes. She had seen the girl return to her normal form. And she had mentioned the guardian's when she had fought the monster, and only someone from the moon would know her and Artemis, the guardians of the future. This girl would bear close watching.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask frowned, even as he leapt from building to building. What was this vision? He could see, through shrouds of mist a palace, old and marble. It gleamed in the moonlight. He saw a figure moving in its shadows, and strained to see more. But all he could tell was that there was something there. His frown deepened, why was he seeing this? Was it something to do with that girl, Sailor Moon? He didn't know....

* * *

Amy stayed close to Serena all day, and the newly awakened scout was so busy keeping her new friend occupied and introducing her to everyone that Serena didn't have a chance to mull over the events over the last twenty four hours until she was in bed that night. She stared at the ceiling and pondered her memories. There were so many holes! So many things she didn't know! Why had she been friendly with the earth generals? What was the reason for the negaverse attacking? Maybe by the time she had found all the scouts she would have remembered more... she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

The next day Amy was busy after school, and Molly was still in hospital after the monster attack so Serena went window-shopping alone, though she did spy Amy entering a cram school, and rolled her eyes. The very person who didn't need a cram school was attending one! She shopped for a little while before buying a bouquet to take to Molly. She visited with her friend, who was full of tales about a dashing hero and a beautiful heroine. After she left Molly, Serena pondered Amy. The blunette's face had seemed so sad as she entered the cram school.

Serena went to the school, and stood glowering at it for several minutes. She was supposed to be a princess, right? So she should going to cram school and getting good grades... doing her homework. She glanced down at her school bag. No way. She'd fight evil and save the world, but no way was she going to learn sine and cosine just because that's what princesses did.

She ducked inside and snuck through the corridors, doing a very bad job of being stealthy, but the students were all concentrating and the antics of the blonde were not noticed.

Halfway down one hall that strange dark feeling came over her again. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe. She ducked down low and peeked into a door.

Luna, the little black cat, watched from the corner of the hall as she let out a little 'eep' and leapt backwards, falling onto her rear. It took her several seconds to return to the door, and when she did her face showed none of the fear that it had shown previously.

Inside the room row upon row of students were sitting staring at the glowing computer screens, here and there one was dribbling or sweating, but they all had the same blank look on her face. And residing over it all was one of the ugliest creatures Serena had seen outside her dreams. It looked like a dried, half-eaten apple, she decided and let out a hysterical giggle, making Luna slap her forehead and the Apple Monster turn around. Serena ducked sideways and transformed, this time not paying any attention at all to the pretty lights that held her fuku. Instead she let out a small moan as more memories assaulted her. Again, they would have to be dealt with later. Taking a deep breath she stepped into the room.

"A school is a place to learn and have fun. You are using it to steal energy and that is wrong. In the name of the moon I will punish you!" she announced angrily.

"Sailor Moon, I presume? You'll pay for what you did to my sister! Arise, children, and serve the Negaverse!"

As one the students in the room rose to their feet and moved in a slow, shuffling walk towards Sailor Moon, who once again began to whine.

"Oh, sure! Use the human children to do your dirty work! Very nice! Geez! Why me?"

Amy stared around, still in her seat. These were her classmates! What had happened to them? Being Amy, she quickly processed what she was seeing, and registered that she had forgotten her cram school disk today. Was the disk what was brainwashing them? She watched in horror as the strange girl wearing the red, blue and white outfit ducked a punch, rolled away from a kick and came up in time to receive a punch to the jaw.

"Oh, come on!" growled the blond scout, "this isn't fair!"

_Geez, _she thought desperately, _I can't hurt these kids! What can I do? _

_**Moon Light Net Ensare**_

_...Ok then..._

She flung up a hand, "Moon-light net! Ensare!"

A glowing web of silver light appeared above the students, shaped like a spider web and as fine, it settled over the students and they froze in place.

Sailor Moon stepped around them and advanced on the monster, her cobalt eyes threatening. She raised her staff in one hand, and pulled her tiara off her forehead with the other. Amy watched in amazement as it rose into the air above her palm and rotated faster and faster until it was nothing but a blur of silver light.

The apple-like creature backed away, casting about for an escape. Unfortunately, there was one at hand.

Amy let out a shriek and tried to run when the monster's eye fell on her, but was too slow.

Sailor Moon grunted in annoyance. These monsters really had to stop using her friends as shields.

"Let her go." She demanded angrily, watching the monster curl its arm around its new shield. Amy whimpered.

"No, no I don't think I will. She's smart this one. If I could take all that brain power... My master would be very, very pleased."

Sailor Moon growled and glanced about, looking for ideas once again. The monster and Amy where moving slowly up the aisle between the desks and computers. Her gaze fell on the computers. Old computers, she noted with the part of her mind free to notice such things. They had big monitors.

Amy's eyes widened when Sailor Moon smiled wickedly.

"Shut your eyes." Sailor Moon said, looking directly at Amy. At that moment Amy felt that somehow she knew this girl. The moment passed as quickly as it had come and she shut her eyes.

Sailor Moon hurled her sceptre into a monitor on the right of the monster, and it the same instant flung her tiara at a monitor on the left.

Both monitors exploded with a shower of sparks and gas. The monster squeaked and jerked backwards, and Amy took her chance. With a shriek and a jerk that used every muscle in her body she tore herself free from the clutches of the evil creature and threw herself to the floor.

Sailor Moon waited long enough to see Amy begin to fall before flinging herself into the air with a flying kick. Her stiletto heel caught the monster at the base of its neck and flung it backwards and down.

She landed, jerked her sceptre from where it was lodged in a ruined monitor and bought the pointed end down through the chest of the creature. Like last time there was a flash of light and the monster turned to dust.

Sailor Moon retrieved her tiara and then her net, just before the students returned to normal. She tied the net around her waist, a sparkling belt to add to her uniform. Then she bent over Amy.

"Hey, Amy, its ok now. Its all over. Everyone went back to normal."

Amy slowly got to her feet. "How did you know my name?"

Sailor Moon smiled and pointed to the pile of books at Amy's station. "That's where you were sitting, right?"

Amy merely nodded.

Sailor Moon turned to leave, but Amy grabbed her arm.

"Thank you!"

Sailor Moon smiled a sweet, gentle smile that somehow made Amy feel incredibly sad.

"Take care of yourself Amy. I don't want to have to rescue you again."

And she was gone.

Serena reappeared on the pavement outside the building several minutes later, back to her normal self. She had turned to head home when a shiver ran down her back and she turned. The street was empty except for a single man on a corner a block away. She stared at him for a second, discomfited. He was watching her intently. He had dark hair and seemed to be quite tall. They stared at each other for a moment, before she turned away and continued towards home, feeling his eyes burning into her back.

* * *

That night Amy dreamed.

_She was lying on the ground, something had thrown her there, and she was terrified. There was a girl calling her name, through mist and haze that seemed to muffle sound as well as light. There was a looming black figure over her, and no matter how hard Amy tried to get up and run she couldn't. Her long blue boots just slipped on the snow. The sleeping Amy frowned, since when did she wear boots? _

_The figure looming over suddenly became clear, and Amy screamed. A bright light spewed from somewhere to her right, the monster screamed and disappeared. Amy turned to thank her rescuer, who was still standing in mist. The words died on her mouth. She could see a silhouette; a girl, standing with one arm high and in her hand there was a staff. She wore a long flowing gown. She slowly lowered the arm and came forward. Her face was still obscured by the mist. She crouched in front of the prone Amy. _

"_Will you join the fight, guardian of the water and ice planet Mercury?" the voice was soft and quiet, but it echoed through the dream plane with a subdued sense of power. _

_The figure held out a hand, and it was the only part of her that Amy could see properly. She knew with a cold sense of clarity that if she said yes and took the hand she would be transported into a terrifying world full of love, hate pain and loyalty. She also knew she would find out who his girl was, and why the word Mercury made such horrible sense to her. She looked up at the obscure face. _

"_I can't!" she cried, "I don't know enough!"_

"Amy!! Amy!!!"

Her mother was shaking her. Amy opened her eyes, "wha???"

"You were having another nightmare sweetie. Was it about your father again?"

"No..." murmured Amy, blinking in confusion, "no..... no, it was something different, this time mum, frightening and real, but it felt right... somehow."

"You're not making much sense my dear, go back to sleep. It was just a dream."

**

* * *

AN; Somehow this managed to be about twice the length of the original chapter. I'm not complaining. I think it's better. Let me know what you think. Please!**


	2. Blue Scout, Blue Day Blues

**AN; so here's chapter two. Hope you like. I've tried to deepen the growing relationship between Serena and Amy as much as I can. Looking forward to meeting Darien!**

**Thanks so much to all those who reviewed! Especially the returning readers, it's great to hear from you all again. I hope you all enjoy. **

**Chapter two. **

* * *

Blue Scout, Blue Day, Blues.

Amy met Serena on her way to school again the next day. They chatted, and although Amy usually laughed at Serena's dizziness, today she couldn't. She just couldn't keep a smile on her face. Serena, after chatting on brightly for a few minutes about how she wasn't usually early to school, stopped and sighed,

"What's up Amy? You seem down."

"Bad night." Said Amy vaguely, and then frowned, "Have you ever heard of the Guardian of Mercury?"

Serena chose that moment to have one of her signature klutz attacks. After knowing her only a few days Amy was well used to these attacks and merely waited for Serena to climb back to her feet.

"Sorry 'bout that, Amy! Um, as to your question... Guardian of Mercury? Like the planet? No..but I may have been asleep during class that day... er, why?"

"Oh I didn't hear it in class. I dreamt about it. It was very strange."

"It sounds it. Who ever heard of a guardian of a planet? Oh, look! Molly's back! You have to come meet her! I hope she's alright to be out of hospital! Hey MOLLY! MOLLY!"

Amy sighed and dropped the subject. She wasn't sure why she had asked Serena of all people anyway. Something had just made the question come out. She followed her friend over to the pretty auburn haired girl that was soon introduced as Molly. Molly still had bruises from a failed robbery at her mother's shop, or at least that had been the rumour according to Melvin.

"So what happened?" someone was asking as she joined them.

"It was a monster!" Molly cried, and Amy felt a chill run down her spine.

"A monster? What kind of monster?"

"I don't know! But she said she came from the Nega-verse. And there was this really handsome man wearing a mask there! And a girl in a sailor outfit. They fought the monster off!"

Many of the group laughed and walked away, apparently believing she was telling a joke. Amy and Serena, however, stayed. Molly looked dejected.

"It's true! I swear!"

"I believe you." Said Amy quickly, "I've met the girl in the Sailor Outfit. Her name's Sailor Moon. She rescued me last night. There was a monster at the cram school."

"Amy!" cried Serena, "You never told me that!"

Amy blushed. "Sorry. I was going to. I just got distracted."

Serena goggled at her. "By a dream? Geez, if I'd been rescued by a sailor scout I'd be telling the world!"

"Sailor Scout?" asked Molly and Amy in unison.

Serena looked uncomfortable. "Well, she sounds like Sailor V, right? And V calls herself a Scout. I just thought the name fitted."

"You're right. Trust you to think about Sailor V." Said Molly, wryly.

The bell rang and they headed to class together.

* * *

Serena watched her friend carefully all that and the next day. Amy became quieter, more withdrawn. Serena spent some time pondering the memories that had returned in the fight at the cram school. She knew who Amy was now. Sailor Mercury! Dear, sweet, timid Mercury. Mercury who had made a study of the Silver Crystal, another memory from long ago. Mercury who had been in love with a General of earth. She hadn't recalled the man's name, but she could see his face. Mercury, here, her friend already! She made a mental note to find out how Amy had come to Tokyo at this time. Surely it was not a coincidence?

Amy seemed down even after school, so Serena and Molly took her shopping to cheer her up. They visited the new clock shop. Serena was eyeing a black cat clock and remembering a different black cat she had known on the moon when a dizzy feeling slammed into her. That now familiar strange dark feeling came over her again. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe, and suddenly she could sense the creature, and Amy's fear.

She spun round and her eyes roamed the shop. Amy was in a corner, cringing. It was obvious she could feel the monster too. Her eyes flicked right and left, trying to find the source of this terrible feeling. Serena began to move towards her, hoping to reassure her in some way, but not sure how. But the shop was crammed full of people, and she was hampered by several stubborn people who refused to move. In the end she just shoved through them.

Amy felt something strange happen. As quickly as it came, the feelings stopped. She didn't realise why until she noticed that someone was holding her hand. She turned and came face to face with Serena. Serena's eyes, those same eyes that had puzzled her when they first met, only a few days ago though it seemed longer, were full of sorrow. And something in them made something inside Amy snap. Memories filled her mind. Memories of a long, long time ago. They had been clamouring to be retrieved since the battle at the cram school and now she fell into them, and didn't feel or hear Serena pulling her out of the shop, practically carrying her, nor did she notice when her friend put her on a park bench, hidden by bushes from the rest of the world.

She remembered many things, but the one memory that would stand in the forefront of her thoughts for the next several days, was this;

_The marble column behind her smashed and Amy winced. _

"_On three!" screamed a blond to her right, her long locks blowing in her tear stained face._

"_One!" yelled the tall brunette raising her antenna from her tiara, already crackling with electricity._

"_Two!" cried the raven haired beauty on Amy's left. _

_Amy felt her mouth open, watched amazed as she screamed "THREE!" with all her might and then listened in astonishment to the meaningless words that spilled out of her mouth, and blinked in amazement as blue bubbles exploded from her hands. _

_The darkness rising in front of them retreated, but only a little. _

_The four girls heard and agonized scream from somewhere behind them, and they all turned to see their queen fall to her knees, staring up at the white, floating figure of her daughter. Amy felt her heart break, and as one the sailor Scouts screamed _

"_SERENITY!"_

Amy woke, with a start and a pained sob. She looked around. It was dark. She was lying on a park bench near some bushes and not far from the fountain. A little way away, a girl sat on the edge of the fountain, her elbows on her knees and her chin resting on her clasped hands. She was wearing a short blue skirt and red boots with a white swimwear-like white top with a red bow and blue colour. Her hair had jewels in it. As Amy watched she lifted her head and pressed her forehead against her clasped hands. A glitter caught Amy's eye and she stared in amazement at the tiara the girl was wearing. The Sailor Suit uniform was familiar, but the colours and the girl were not. Not according to her memories, anyway. The sixteen-year-old Amy part of her recognised the girl as the person who had saved her, but she was no longer merely a sixteen year old.

Sailor Mercury sat up. Even though she wore no uniform, it was her who spoke.

"I do not remember you."

The girl stood and turned with a sad smile on her face.

"No." She said it so quietly that Amy had to strain to listen. "No, you would not. I only came into existence after the end of the Millennium. A long time afterwards, actually. My job is to protect the earth until the rest of the Sailor Scouts remember themselves. You have remembered everything?"

Amy winced. "Yes, I believe so."

"Then are you ready to fight with me?"

Amy glared at her, "What good will fighting them do?" she snapped. "They butchered us on the Moon. They turned our lovers against us! What good could we possibly do here?"

Sailor Moon looked at her, her features pitying. That just made Mercury madder.

"Selenity did not utilise the full power of the Crystal on the Moon. I am hoping Princess Serenity will be able to, once she remembers who she is. And I wasn't around either. I'm no pushover, you know."

Amy merely grunted in annoyance.

"So we need to get you trained up a bit, I think. Come here, to the park, after dark every day for the next week or so and we'll have you trained up in no time."

"I'm supposed to just take your orders then?" Amy snapped, "In case you didn't know, the Sailor Scouts can only be ordered around by Venus, the Princess or the Queen!"

Sailor Moon frowned at her. "Indeed. The Princess and the Queen of the Moon command the Sailor Scouts. And the Sailor Scout of the Moon commands them in their absence, and until Sailor Venus awakens."

"There was no Sailor Moon on the Moon!" Amy yelled, leaping to her feet, enraged that this _stranger_ dared to claim leadership over the scouts. "You didn't exist! You cannot claim anything from us if you didn't fight with us!"

Sailor Moon's expression had been open and amiable, even when she was frowning. Now it closed like a door and her dark eyes burned with a fire that made Amy wonder suddenly if yelling at her had been a good idea.

"I did exist, Amy Mizuno. Never forget it. I was on the Moon. I was there. I saw the destruction that pains you so. I wept with everyone. But I died long before you, in the first wave of attacks, protecting my sibling, mother and lover, so don't you dare say that I cannot claim! I claim leadership as is my right!"

There was silence as Amy digested that.

Sailor Moon sighed, and her face showed nothing but tiredness. "Meet me here tomorrow. We'll begin your training. If you wish to fight the Negaverse, that is."

"The Negaverse?"

Sailor Moon blinked at her. "Oh. I forgot you never heard the name of them. The Negaverse is where all these monsters come from. They and their leaders are responsible for the end of the Millennium."

Amy took that in for a second but Sailor Moon was talking.

"So you'll probably notice when the next attack happens. You'll feel the same as you did in that shop today. By the way, we will need to investigate that place soon. I definitely felt some bad vibes there. We'll need to stop whatever they've got going. Oh, and since you're the brainiac of the team, as I recall, I think it would be a good idea to analyse the attacks and find out what they want. These attacks aren't random, or at least, I don't think so."

Amy frowned thoughtfully. "Molly said the monster at Osa-P took all her energy. And the one at the cram school left everyone weak, and she mentioned my brain power."

"You think they're after energy? What on earth for?"

Amy shrugged, "it seems logical. If they were badly weakened by Selenity's last attack, then they may still be trying to regain all their lost power."

"So all we have to do, if that is the case, and it seems likely, is to stop every monster from returning to the negaverse with its energy stores full?"

Sailor Moon cracked her knuckles. "I can deal with that."

"How am I supposed to transform?" Amy asked, "I have no sceptre or power source."

"We'll get you one, don't worry. Now. Time to go home. Sleep, Amy, you need it."

"You know me, but I don't know you. Who are you?"

"Sailor Moon."

Amy sighed, and Sailor Moon laughed. "Come on, Gaurdian of Mercury. You didn't expect it to be that easy, did you?"

Amy started, "My dream! You sent me that dream!"

"I did indeed. You're quick."

"How come I could not see Serenity's face in my dream, nor my memories?"

"I believe you have met the princess in your day to day life over the last year or so. She does not remember yet, though she is starting to. I cannot have you running up to her in the street and asking for orders until she is ready."

"But she's not safe, surely!"

"Safer than you, I'm afraid. Now you have remembered your aura has become much more powerful. Be careful, the monsters may choose you as a target. Don't worry about the Princess. I am keeping an eye on her."

Amy sighed.

"Go on. And think up a story to tell Serena and Molly tomorrow. They will be worried, I'm sure."

"Oh my! Serena, and the shop! I have to make sure she's alright."

Apparently she didn't remember Serena pulling her out of the shop.

Sailor Moon held up a hand, "Hey, hey, she's fine. Didn't hang around long after you left. She sensed whatever it was too."

"She did?"

"Ahmm. She's slightly psychic it seems. She may have just read your reaction to it. I'm not sure."

"How odd. Could she be of any help to us, do you think?"

Sailor Moon looked at her keenly, and Amy suddenly felt as if she was under a microscope.

"You want your new friend in on your big secret?" asked Sailor Moon at last.

Amy felt her cheeks redden. "I think we can trust her."

"I'm sure you can. But you can't go and tell every human friend you have. That'll just put them in danger. Not to mention add to the media frenzy I've already got to deal with. Did you see the add in the paper? 2 million yen for a photo of up my skirt! Honestly!"

"You think she'd tell the media?" Amy snapped, "Serena isn't like that!"

"Ask her. See what she'd do if she knew."

Amy tried to think of something biting to say, she was beginning to dislike this scout more and more as time passed.

"Go on." Said Sailor Moon impatiently. "Bed. Now."

Amy glared at her and stalked off. She stopped at the park gate and looked back. Sailor Moon was standing where she had left her, her neck cricked back and she was staring up at the moon with an odd expression. Amy turned to look up at the moon herself, and frowned when she saw its surface shimmering with a sort of glitter. When she looked for Sailor Moon again, the park was empty. She hurried home to bed.

Sailor Moon leant against a tree. So her new friend was awake. Odd that it had been a chance encounter that had put her in her path. Or had it not been chance? She had already noticed the strange coincidence, but now she pondered it she couldn't believe it had been anything but fate.

Or Pluto, another memory dredged up with this latest transformation. Pluto may very well be meddling in timelines. She often did.

She sighed.

"I need to go and have a look at that shop. Then I need sleep. This heroine gig is exhausting."

"Why didn't you tell her who you are?" The voice was soft and came from a branch behind her. Sailor Moon whirled, bringing her sceptre up.

A black cat was sitting on a branch in the tree she had been leaning against. Her red eyes were glowing in the dark, and her tail was swinging lazily. She tipped her head a little, and Sailor Moon saw a flash of gold on the cat's forehead. A crescent moon. Sailor Moon gasped.

"Luna?"

"Indeed." Agreed the cat, "But you have the advantage over me. I don't suppose you'd like to tell me who you are, why I have no memory of you from the moon and why you didn't tell Amy who you are?"

"I'm Sailor Moon, that's obvious, right? I didn't exist in precisely this form on the moon. I had to evolve myself a little to become a scout. And I didn't tell Amy because I am her commander. Not her friend. Not when I'm Sailor Moon, anyway. You saw all of that?"

Luna nodded. "I did."

"Well, if she knew I was really her friend Serena, she wouldn't take orders from me. Would you? Serena's a klutz and a cry-baby. Not to mention extremely lazy."

Luna didn't comment, but merely stared her in the face so long Sailor Moon grew uncomfortable.

"Uh, what?"

"Who were you on the moon? You mentioned a mother, sibling and lover. I assume you weren't just trying to rhyme."

"I wasn't. My name was Serenity."

Luna nearly fell off the branch. "What?" she gasped.

"Or, at least, I think it was. My memories are extremely hazy. Unlike Amy, I have not remembered everything yet. I may be Serenity; I may be merely another scout."

"Are you saying you don't know?"

"Yes. I really don't know, Luna. I've only been doing this for a few days."

"I would expect if you were the princess you'd know it anyway!" Luna commented, eying the girl. "You don't act like a princess."

"Gee, thanks. Well this has been great, kitty, but I need to check out a certain clock shop before I go home. Speaking of homes, do you have one? You don't look like you do."

"Gee thanks. No. I don't. I'm a cat. I don't need a home."

"Pshaw. If you've been following me, as I think you have, you'll know where I live. You ever want a meal and warm, dry bed, my window is usually unlatched."

Luna nodded in acceptance of the offer, "thank you."

"Don't mention it, kitty cat. All right. I'm off. See you!" she dashed away.

"Don't call me kitty!"

* * *

The next day Serena arrived at school just in time to miss out on detention, depriving Miss Haruna of her early morning pick-on-Serena routine and therefore making her cranky. The class suffered in silence until recess, and then exploded outside with relief.

Amy apologized to both Serena and Molly for disappearing on them and they assured her it was fine. They sat together under a tree, and Luna dropped from a branch into Serena's lap. Serena was fairly sure the claws that dug into her leg were deliberate, but she gave Luna a tuna sandwich anyway.

"What a cute cat!" cried Molly, "Is she yours Serena?"

Serena laughed, "No one owns a cat. I think they own us. I don't know, am I your human, Luna?"

Luna meowed loudly, making Molly laugh.

Amy was sitting very still, staring at the cat, remembering, and wondering if this was possibly the same cat.

"Scared?" asked Molly, noting her silence.

Amy shook her head hurriedly, "No, no not at all. That's an interesting mark on her forehead."

"Yeah, it looks like a moon, huh. That's why I'm calling her Luna. She followed me home last night."

"Last night…? Ah, she's lovely." Managed Amy, trying not meet the cats eyes.

"Isn't she?" smiled Serena, and hugged the cat, making her meow and struggle to be free.

* * *

That afternoon Serena left her friends almost immediately after school and headed to the local ice-skating rink. It was her favourite place on earth, apart from the arcade. When she was on the ice all the klutz attacks and ditzy moments and habits faded and she was herself. Today however, she wasn't particularly looking forward to skating. She had received her test of the week back. She sighed, thinking about her score. This week had been a write off as far as school was concerned. She'd been far too consumed with her returning memories. Not to mention the fact that there had been a few monsters to deal with, at least one each night. When you were out all hours fighting for the survival of earth, tests just didn't take priority.

Actually, this last year had been a write off. Her brother's illness ensured that she had missed a lot of school, and her own problems a few years back had left her behind her peers.

And now this test. Miss Haruna had taken her aside and told her gently that if she didn't get her act together she'd have to repeat the year.

She glared at the red number on her paper. Thirty. She hadn't even got half the answers right, and it had been multiple choice! She flung herself onto one of the benches that ringed the ice skating rink and put her head in her hands. Her parents didn't need anything else to worry about. Sam was quite enough for them to concern themselves with. They didn't need a reborn princess flunking school to stress over too.

In a fit of pike she scrunched up the test and hurled it away from her.

Unfortunately it was caught in the jet of cold air streaming from one of the over head air conditioning units and she watched in horror as it was flung out onto the ice.

Right into the path of a man, moving at speed and just coming into a landing from a perfect salchow jump. His blade came down on the piece of paper, and down he went. Crash!

Serena let out a little yelp of dismay and considered running away and hiding, but found herself moving the opposite direction and moving carefully out onto the ice in her school shoes.

Fortunately he didn't seem to be badly hurt, and by the time she reached him he was sitting up and unfolding the piece of paper that had caused him to twist an ankle.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, crouching down beside him, "I threw it and it got caught in the air con. Are you ok?"

"Do I look ok?" he snapped, glaring at her, "I just twisted my ankle. It bloody hurts."

She bit her lip, "I'm so sorry. Can I help you up?"

"I think you've done enough, don't you?" he growled, and then scowled down at the score on the sheet.

"Shouldn't you be in remedial school, instead of ruining peoples ankles?" he added, as he pulled himself hesitantly to his feet.

Serena frowned. She's apologised twice now, and he was still being a prick.

"It was an accident, and that's really none of your business." She snapped and jerked the now sodden piece of paper out of his hand.

He sneered at her; "You made it my business when you sprained my ankle. What are you, a high school drop out?"

The words stung and she very dearly wanted to slap him, but he wobbled even as she considered it, and she sighed, determined to be the better person.

"Come on; let's get that ankle seen too." She murmured, gesturing off the ice.

"I can take care of it myself, I'm a doctor." He growled, and moved away from her. Unfortunately for him, his ankle necessitated him moving very slowly and she kept up easily, and was well within earshot when she muttered,

"Some doctor you must be. Your bedside manner is wonderful."

He glared at her and she smiled a fake sweet smile in return.

"Some high school student you must be. Your test scores are woeful. So woeful they torture unsuspecting victims." He retorted.

She let out an exasperated noise, "Geez! I already apologized! And you know what? I'm not sorry anymore. If you're going to be such a prick about it I'll leave you alone. Ass."

She left him, shuffling off easily faster than he. He glared after her and then continued to make his way to the exit.

Several minutes later he was seated on one of the grandstand benches around the rink, carefully wrapping his ankle. The conversation of several nearby elementary school girls flowed over him, and he wouldn't have paid them any attention except that they all sounded so excited.

"Where is she?"

"She's just getting changed out of her uniform. She won't be long."

"Look! There she is!"

"Oh what a cool workout outfit! She's so cool!"

"I know, Serena is the nicest person here! And the best skater!"

"Yeah... whoa, she looks a little peeved. What do you suppose put her in that mood?"

He looked up, and followed the line of sight of the girls, and watched as the small blond that had sprained his ankle moved swiftly out onto the ice.

Her hair was no longer in that ridiculous hairstyle, but up in a neat braided bun at the back of her head. She had indeed changed out of her school uniform and now wore a black leotard with legs that came down over her skates to tie under the arch of the boot. Her arms were also completely covered, right down to a v on her hands where the leotard tied around her middle finger. The neckline of the leotard was low and round, but not obscenely low. Around her hips she wore a silver skirt. Her skates were pearly white.

She stopped in the centre of the ring and Darien noticed that most other activity had stopped. All around the rink there seemed to be a sense of expectation and it seemed to be centred on her. She looked up and for an instant their eyes met. Her eyes were crystal clear blue, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed them earlier. He read the challenge in them. _Watch this, asshole. _

She looked away first, and held her position for several seconds longer before she started to move to music only she could hear.

She started simply, a gentle curving motion that manoeuvred her up and then down the rink, slowly picking up speed before slipping easily into a perfect Bauer move – skating in a single line with her blades parallel with her toes pointing opposite directions. She bent almost completely backwards, a long graceful move that had him holding his breath.

Next she straightened and picked up speed before spinning so she was skating backwards, and then launched herself into the air from the outside edge of her blade, completing a perfect triple loop jump. He felt himself loose all the air he had held as she landed, making it look effortless, and continued to skate backwards, keeping an eye over her shoulder. She then threw herself into another edge jump, this time a toe loop, where she rotated only once in the air and once again landed effortlessly.

Darien was leaning forward in his seat now, not in the least concerned with his ankle. He was watching her expression. She had started out moving fast, and looking more than a little angry, but as she moved through the routine he could see her calming down, and beginning to concentrate.

She flipped around on one blade so she was facing forward again, and picked up speed. He heard the girls in front of him cheer as she leapt into a perfect stag jump with one leg extended, the other bet. She landed easily, and went straight into a split jump, basically doing the splits in the air.

He stopped paying attention so much to what she was doing then, without even realising it. Because her face had changed again, and was showing another emotion. Joy. Pure joy. She loved skating, that much was obvious. He watched as she spun, twizzled, glided and leapt across the ice. She was extremely graceful. So graceful in fact that he literally couldn't take his eyes off her. Her legs and feet were excellent, never where they shouldn't be, always keeping her in balance. Her arms held her balance as well, but with long lines and such elegant moves that it looked exquisite.

And through it all the joyful expression never left her face.

She finished with a perfect triple axel, and spun on the spot until she slowed to a stop. Many of hte audience clapped and cheered, and she offered them a shy smile before exiting the arena. As soon as she stepped off the ice, Darien realised his mouth was hanging open and shut it with a snap.

He finished wrapping his ankle and grabbed his bag. Limping out of the arena he saw a friend and stopped him.

"That girl that was just on the ice, the one in black and silver. Who is she?"

His friend, an ice coach named Daisuke glanced in the direction he pointed and grinned.

"Yeah? Oh, that's Serena, man I dig her new gear."

"How long has she been skating?"

"Ten years or so. See her go, did ya? Bet she gave a great show. She usually does."

Darien smiled weakly. His friend laughed.

"Oh I know. I had that reaction too, first time I saw her. She's gorgeous, ain't she? Best body in the rink, in my opinion. Hot as hell, and when she extends those legs..." his friend gave a delighted shiver.

Darien agreed whole heartedly, but wasn't about to admit it,

"Dai, isn't she like a high school student? That's illegal, man!"

Daisuke laughed, "Oh I know. But I can't help but wish she were a couple years older!" he grinned, watching the girl named Serena over the other side of the rink as she chattered to a couple other girls.

"Strangest thing is, when she's not on ice she's a walking disaster. Trips over all the time. And she wears her hair in this strange meatball and spaghetti style."

"Yeah, I've seen it. She tripped me up earlier. Sprained my ankle. How I'm supposed to work tomorrow I don't know." Darien grumbled.

Daisuke laughed, "Darien, you work in a hospital. Try, I don't know, borrowing some crutches?"

* * *

Later, as Serena walked home and grumbled to an amused Luna about the idiot at the rink, she passed the clock shop. Last night when she had checked the place, it had been quiet, but now it was humming with negative energy. She ducked into a conveniently placed nearby alley and turned to Luna.

"I need to get Mercury here."

"What?" asked the cat, "not going in alone?"

Serena glowered at the animal, "if I have backup I'm going to use it."

Luna shrugged as best a cat could and her crescent moon glowed. There was a brief flash of light and Serena was holding a small blue wand, shaped like a pen but with a silver symbol on it. The symbol of Mercury.

"Huh. Cool. But how do I get her here?"

Luna's eyes narrowed as the girl unwittingly gave her another small clue about her past. Whoever this girl really was, she had been close enough to the scouts on the moon to recognise their henshin wands. That narrowed the list considerably.

"All sailor scouts are at least slightly psychic. You can communicate with her mentally. Though I'd suggest you transform first. That will enhance whatever abilities you may have."

"And here I thought you were just a pretty face." Commented Serena with a grin, before transforming.

This time she remembered about her mother, and the look on her face had Luna asking her urgently what was wrong.

She managed to shake her head, "Its... ok, I think. I remember something new every time I transform. I just remembered Queen Serenity... and Artemis! Luna, where is Artemis?"

Luna started, and then shook her head, her ears drooping. "I don't know."

"Oh, you poor thing. You must miss him terribly."

Luna gave her a look that told her she didn't want to talk about it.

Sailor Moon held up her hands in surrender, "Ok, ok, I'll just call Mercury."

Amy was sitting at her desk at home, supposedly doing her homework, but actually was lost in memories, most of which were centred round an earth general. Her heart clenched in her chest. She had no idea what had happened to Zoisite after her death in the Silver Millenium, and she badly needed to know.

_Mercury? Can you hear me? _

Amy squeaked in surprise. Then she remembered the way the scouts had communicated on the moon and relaxed.

_I can hear you. Is there a monster? _

_Yes. At the clock shop. When can I expect you?_

_Three minutes. _

Sailor Moon relaxed, "She's coming."

* * *

Darien was at home with his foot up when the strange feeling came over him again. He began to shiver uncontrollably, and sweat broke out all over his body. He doubled over as a pain shot through his chest and swore through his teeth.

"Shit. Not... again..."

An instant later he was Tuxedo Mask. An instant after that the apartment was empty.

* * *

Amy jogged down the small shopping arcade, glancing left and right, looking for some sign of Sailor Moon. She saw the black cat, looked past it, and then did a double take.

Luna disappeared down an alley and she followed.

Sailor Moon was waiting, leaning against a dirty wall with a bored expression on her face that changed into expectation when she saw Amy.

"Good timing. You know Luna, I assume?"

Amy looked down at the cat, who smiled a cat-smile at her, "It's been a long time, Mercury."

"It has Luna. Are you well?" Amy bent and picked up the cat, giving her a gentle hug. Luna rubbed her face along Amy's jaw and purred. Sailor Moon twitched in annoyance. Last time she'd tried to pet Luna.... well, she still had the marks. Damn cat.

"Here," she said tersely, handing Amy the henshin wand. "You know your activation words, I assume?"

Amy didn't bother replying, just took the wand and whispered "Mercury Power!"

A thick veil of mist appeared around her, and remained for several seconds before shifting, sinking in on itself into a solid form; a tiara with a blue gem in the centre. Sailor Mercury plucked it out the air where it hovered and placed it on her forehead. Her uniform was similar in shape to Moons, though all in different shades of blue. Her two bows where edged with lace, while her skirt had a top layer of wispy tulle-like material several shades lighter than the dark blue skirt. Her boots were edged with silver and the brooch at the centre of her bow was a silver and sapphire mercury symbol.

Sailor Moon was smiling now. She held out her hand to the Ice Scout, "It's been a long time, Sailor Mercury. We're one step closer to rebuilding the moon kingdom. Welcome back."

Mercury couldn't help but smile as she shook the outstretched hand.

"I'm back." She said, and settled her shoulders with a sigh, "Lets do this."

"You know what to do?"

"Yes. I remember clearly."

"Goody. Let's go then!" Sailor Moon sounded slightly excited.

Sailor Moon strode over the shop and tried the door. It was locked, so she reeled back and landed a powerful roundhouse kick in the centre of the glass door. The glass shattered and Sailor Moon stepped into the dark shop. Sailor Mercury followed, after picking up Luna so she didn't hurt her paws on the glass.

Inside the shop was dark, but seemingly normal. For a moment.

"Well, well, well. Two Sailor Scouts, now?" came an oily voice from the shadows, and both Scouts stiffened.

Sailor Moon bought her sceptre up, scanning the dark but unable to see what had spoken, however, she could feel the heaviness of the air and knew it was a monster from the negaverse.

"Mercury, can you activate your visor yet?" she asked quietly.

Mercury reached up and tapped her sapphire earring and a blue visor appeared across her features.

"Activated." She announced, scanning the area, "it's over behind the 'no entry' door."

Sailor Moon nodded and reached up to grab her tiara.

"Look out!" Yelped Mercury suddenly, "There's another one! Left, to the left!"

Sailor Moon spun, one arm bringing up the sceptre just in time to meet the blow from the shadowy figure that had dropped down from the ceiling. There was the crash of metal on metal as the sceptre met a sword, and Sailor Moon was flung backwards across the room with a gasp of surprise. She landed painfully on her back, dropping her tiara in the process.

A young man landed, and tossed back his blond hair, grinning at her. "I was going to leave you be, but now there are two of you, you're more than an inconvenience."

Sailor Moon sat up and stared in amazement at the man. "Impossible."

Mercury too, was staring, "It can't be…."

Luna's ears were back and she hissed loudly from where she was crouched on Mercury's shoulder, "You!" she spat.

General Jadeite, formally general of earth and now obvious Nega-Lavkey, turned to the cat with a raised eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" he asked with a sneer.

Sailor Moon stood, "Jadeite, you work for the Negaverse now?"

Luna glanced at her as another clue about the girl fell into place; she knew the generals, or at least, she knew this one.

Jadeite turned slowly to face her, ignoring the blue Scout standing less than a metre away, "I don't believe we've been introduced." He said quietly, "and yet, you know my name."

Sailor Moons face was pained. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" his face was confused. Mercury held her breath. Her visor was still running, and she could see how far the negative energy in this man outstripped the monster hiding in the shadows at the back of the shop. This man was terrifying, and yet, she knew him, knew who he was and what he had done.

"You were not always a Nega-Lackey." Sailor Moon told him quietly.

Jadeites face screwed up into a shocking mixture of rage and pain, and he flung out a hand at the blond scout, shrieking something in a language none of them knew, and a blast of purple/black lightning careened across the space between them, slamming into Sailor Moons chest before she could react. It lifted her off her feet and plunged her backwards again, through a wall and into the room beyond.

There was silence, the only noise being plaster falling from the crumbling wall. Mercury focused her visor on the wall, and the figure beyond it. Sailor Moon was showing life signs, but weak ones. _Unconcious_ the little screen in front of her eyes told her.

"Revin, drain her till she's dead. We may as well use her for something, and the energy of a sailor scout… exquisite I'm sure." Jadeite ordered. He turned to Mercury, "I'll take care of this one."

Mercury saw the dark shape at the other end of the room shift, and leapt away from the man, landing several metres away with an angry yell,

"You can't tell me that you don't remember your Prince! Endymion was your brother, you fool, and now you betray him by doing this?"

He snarled at her, but not before she saw the confusion at the name Endymion. "Die!"

She ducked the first swing of the sword, and then the second, before finding herself up against one of the clock covered walls with no where to go. He charged, and she leapt up, straight over him. His sword slammed into the wall and was lodged there, or at least, that's what she assumed his snarls meant. She was busy, racing over the other side of the room towards where Sailor Moon now hung limply in the clutch of the monster he had called Revin.

"Let her go!" she shrieked.

Revin looked up and sneered, dropping the prone scout. "As you wish. I'm done with her anyway."

Mercury's visor had told her the same thing: _deceased._

"Impossible." She gasped, and then glared at the monster, "You'll pay for that!"

Luna leapt of her shoulder when she raised her arms, "Mercury Ice Bubbles, BLAST!"

The monster let out a shriek of shock as the attack slammed into her, and staggered away from the icy onslaught. Parts of her body were frozen, and she had changed colour.

"Negaverse! Hear me!" Screamed the monster, and Mercury staggered as the shop around her turned into a dark warp. The monster disappeared, so did Luna and Sailor Moons body.

She gulped. She was on her own now.

Jadeite watched as the blue scout was swallowed by the warp with a satisfied smile. No one had yet escaped Revi's warp.

A soft noise made him glance at the prone blond scout.

He felt his breath catch in his throat. He had _seen_ Revin suck the life out of her, and yet…

Her eyes were open, and she was slowly, so slowly, moving an arm. Towards that dammed stick thing of hers.

"Oh, I don't think so." He sneered, and bought the hell of his boot down on her hand with a crunch. She let out a noise of pain and her whole body twitched.

He stood there for a second, watching her. She was lying on her stomach, her head turned to the side, looking up at him out of the corner of those angry blue eyes.

"How is it possible that you are still alive?" he asked, grinding his heel into her already broken hand. "I saw Revin suck you dry. She doesn't make mistakes, that one. If she thinks she took your life force, she did."

"Maybe I'm immortal." Her voice was soft, but it held a bite. He grinned, oh how he loved it when they fought till the end!

"No one is immortal." He sneered, and moved his foot from her hand to the back of her neck and pushed. She shut her eyes and hissed.

"You seem awfully familiar, do I know you?"

Her eyes opened again, "You used to." Her voice was strangled, the pressure he was putting on her neck crushing her voice box and wind pipe. "When you lived on the moon."

Something about that statement bought a feeling into his chest he did not ever remember feeling, pain. He blinked, confused, and then growled.

"You confuse me. It hurts. Therefore, you die."

He raised his sword. She shut her eyes.

There was a noise above her, and the weight on the back of her neck disappeared. She heard Jadeite grunt and swear, and opened her eyes in time to see a billowing black cape settle.

Sailor Moons eyes widened as she looked up at the crouching figure that had just kicked the general out of the way. Tuxedo Mask stayed in his battle crouch, watching Jadeite. The general picked himself up and stood, glaring at the man in the black cape and tuxedo.

A second passed as they regarded each other.

Jadeite summoned his sword back to his hand and held it at the ready position. "I can see you are a swordsman. But that doesn't help me. Who are you?"

"My name is Tuxedo Mask." Said man raised his cane warily, "Who are you?"

"Tuxedo Mask? Seriously?" Jadeite snorted, "I am General Jadeite of the Negaverse. I would say its a pleasure...." his eyes flicked between Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon who was now slowly climbing to her feet, using Tuxedo Mask's extended hand as a prop, "...But I would so obviously be lying I'll just kill you both instead."

He flung out a hand and a black/purple ball of fire screamed towards them. Sailor Moon was barely on her feet, and knew she wasn't able to escape the blast in time so she didn't bother trying, merely cradled her injured hand against her chest. She reckoned without Tuxedo Mask. However, and was vaguely surprised when he scooped her up and leapt out of the blast radius with ease.

He set her on her feet some feet away, holding her elbow until she regained her balance.

"Thanks." She murmured, glancing around for her tiara and sceptre.

"Don't mention it." Tux muttered in return with darkness in his tone. Sailor Moon threw him a puzzled glance before spotting her tiara. Her sceptre was closer to Jadeite than she'd like, but her tiara was within easy reach. She scooped it up and turned to face Jadeite.

"Oooh! Little lady has a crown. I'm so scared." Jadeite sneered and Sailor Moons eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"You know, Jadeite, I forgot how annoying you could be. How Mars ever put up with you is beyond me." She growled, and then flung the tiara at him.

He ducked it easily, but it gave Tuxedo Mask the bare second he needed to cross the distance between them and bring his cane –Sailor Moon was starting to wonder if that cane was made of something special- down on Jadeites sword with such an impact that it knocked the black blade from the Nega-Generals hands.

Jadeite snarled something in a language that neither of the other two knew and leapt far out of Tux's reach.

"I can see I'll have to kill you some other time, Sailor Moon. Pity. I was quite looking forward to it. But your hero here doesn't seem too impressed with me. I guess I'll just have to kill him first, next time."

He disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

Sailor Moon bit back a swear word. Her hand was hurting like nothing else, and her neck and cheek were smarting painfully. She really didn't want to know what she looked like. A mess, probably.

Her sceptre appeared in front of her and it took her a second to realise that it wasn't hovering on its own, but was being held out by a gloved hand.

"Um, thanks." She said quietly, taking the sceptre. "For everything, I mean. I'd be dead if you hadn't arrived when you did."

He was quiet for a second. "I didn't have a choice." He said at last. "I have to help, so it's no use thanking me. If I had my way I'd leave you to it and just get the crystal on my own."

Sailor Moon caught her breath. "The crystal?"

"Yeah. It's what _she_ wants."

"She?"

"I think she's a princess."

"...you_ think_?"

"It's hard to tell. She visits me in my dreams."

_Wait a sec, what what what? In his dreams? I've never visited anyone's dreams but Mercury's. But if it's the princess.... Well am I the princess or not? _

Tuxedo Mask was watching her carefully, and she quickly covered her confusion with a smile, "crazy dream ladies aside, I have to go get Mercury. Are you coming?"

"If I have a chance to defeat a Negamonster, yes."

Together they stepped into the warp.

Sailor Mercury felt the blast before she saw it, which was no surprise since the warp was almost pitch black. The air around her grew hot, and before she could move the stream of negative energy slammed into her side and she was flung high into the twisting air currents of the warp. She braced herself for a rough landing...

It never came.

"Moon-Light net! Catch!"

Sailor Moons desperation to save the other scout had her creating another use for her sparkling belt, and whooping a little with happiness as it worked and the blue scout landed safely within the glowing web.

Sailor Moon lowered the web to the ground, or at least the solid floor of the warp, and helped Mercury to her feet.

Mercury was shocked in no small measure, of course. "You're supposed to be dead! My Computer saw your heart stop!"

Sailor Moon blinked in surprise and Tuxedo Mask, a silent figure at her side, shot her a sharp glance. She had been dead?

"Really?" asked the blond scout, "I thought the monster just drained me and dropped me. My heart actually stopped?"

"Yes!" Said Mercury, quickly scanning her ally's body with her visor. Her energy was very low, and.... "You've hurt your hand?"

"Yeah, the Nega-creep-I'm-an-asshole-general did it. How are you going here?"

"Badly. I can't find her. My visor is picking up Negative energy from all over this warp and isn't picking her up amongst it."

"So we'll have to destroy the warp first." Said Tuxedo Mask, speaking for the first time in Mercury's presence and startling her.

"Who are you?" she asked warily, and looked to Sailor Moon for answers. The blond scout shrugged,

"This is Tuxedo Mask. Tux, Mercury. Mercury, Tux. No, Sailor Mercury, I don't know if we can trust him." She was answering the unspoken question in Mercury's eyes.

"However, he just kicked the asshole Jadeite across the room with ease so I'm not about to start challenging him. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's a nut job."

To Mercury's surprise, Tuxedo Mask chortled. "Like you can talk. Running around in that get up? A behavioural therapist would have a field day with you on the couch." He shot Mercury a glance and added "And it seems to be catching."

Sailor Moon grinned at him, and Mercury suddenly felt very much a third wheel.

"We're all nut jobs then. Let's get rid of this warp. Mercury, we'll have to combine our powers. Can you manage that?"

"Can you?" asked the blue haired girl coolly, "You're the one that got drained."

"I'll be fine. I always am. Hold out your hand."

Mercury and Moon joined hands. Tux stepped back in surprise as the two scouts started to glow. Mercy shone a pure, clean blue. Sailor Moon shone a strange mottled colour that was not white, but neither was it any other colour. Whatever it was, he decided it was beautiful.

"Moon...." murmured Sailor Moon.

"Mercury..." whispered Sailor Mercury and Tux took another step back as their powers glowed even brighter than before, and began to surround them. _This is the power of the Sailor Scouts?_

"POWER!" yelled both the scouts at once and immediately the gathered powers around them spread out in a wave, rushing over Tuxedo Mask and making his cape flap. He had to grab his hat before it blew away.

When he looked up he was standing in the shop again. He glanced around to see both Sailor Scouts throwing all they had at the youma and flung a cape full of roses himself.

Revin was unable to withstand the onslaught and crumbled to dust.

"Hah!" said Sailor Moon wearily, "Moon dusted."

Mercury didn't reply and turned to look around the shop. "This place is a mess." She said at last.

Sailor Moon shrugged, "Better a mess than a Nega-hive. I'm sure insurance will cover vandals."

"Is that what we are now?" asked Tuxedo Mask wryly, "I thought we were heroes. Silly me."

Sailor Moon rolled her eyes at him and they all departed.

* * *

A little while later Serena was wandering home, cradling her sore hand when she saw the man from the ice skating rink limping along the other side of the street. She watched him pass in the other direction and frowned, "What's he doing out this late, do you think, Luna?"

Luna shrugged, unconcerned with human nocturnal habits. "Probably out with his girlfriend on a date. Who cares?"

Serena didn't know why, but the notion of him having a girlfriend bothered her, and she was strangely quiet the rest of the trip.

**

* * *

**

AN: A chapter of three thousand words turned into one of eight thousand. Hmmm. This is gonna be longer than I thought.

Thanks to the anon reviews Fire Dolphin and Linds. I can't reply to you via PM so here you go. Thanks for your enthusiasm and I hope to see you guys next chapter!

**Please review, tell me what you think, even if you thought it was sh... Any sort of feedback makes the world go around.... speaking of; there was something like ten times the amount of hits on last chapter compared to the reviews. Please leave a review, even if you've only read the first line and tell me why you didn't keep reading or whatever! Just give a dog a bone! **


	3. Remembrance

**AN: Hey thanks to all the reviewers, much appreciated. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I've made some more changes in this chapter so don't expect it to follow the old story-line closely. **

* * *

Raye Hino dreamt a strange dream.

_A figure loomed over her, threatening and vague. The sleeping girl whimpered, and a voice she vaguely recognised as her own spoke in pleading tones;_

_"Jadeite, please! I know there's a part of you in there somewhere! Please! I know you can hear me! Beryl is the cause of this! Not the prince! He's your prince! Your brother! Beryl has brainwashed you! If you turn back now, it can all go back to what it was!"_

_It seemed odd to the sleeping Raye that she wasn't pleading for her own life, but trying to convince this man that his own life could be saved._

_The misty figure rose what was obviously a sword and Raye ducked, expecting a quick death._

_But there was an explosion of golden/silver light from her right and a woman's voice echoed through Raye's dream:_

_"Jadeite!"_

_Raye looked up; the figure was staggering backwards, the sword clattered to the ground. He clutched his head, and though Raye could still not see his features she knew they were twisted in pain._

_He turned and disappeared into a swirl of mist._

_Raye turned back to her right, slowly getting to her feet. The woman was a bare outline in the mist, but instead of the fear she had felt for the man, she only felt a slight apprehension here. This person meant her no harm._

_"So my Guardian of Mars. Your memories are even haunting your dreams. That is distressing. And yet, the fact that you are awakening is good. Will you fight with me?"_

_The figure held out a hand._

_Raye gazed at the hand for a long time. It puzzled her that the hand was completely visible while the rest of the person was not. She stared at the pale fingers and knew that if she took them her life would change forever._

_"What… what will change?" she asked weakly._

_"You don't know?" the figure seemed to droop. "I guess you are not as awake as I thought. Never mind. When you see this wand…."_

_A wand, red and gold with a strange symbol at the top appeared floating above the hand._

_"Take it and trust the one who gave it to you."_

Raye woke up gasping for breath.

* * *

Serena rubbed her temples with a frown. Trust Mars to be difficult over one of the most important events in her life.

She was in the park. It was three minutes to midnight and she was waiting for Sailor Mercury. Luna was sitting at her feet, a blue watch-like thing at her feet. Serena was wearing hers already. The communicators would make it easier to contact each other, though it was going to be difficult when her identity as Sailor Moon was supposed to be kept secret.

"How did it go?" asked Luna when Serena shifted uncomfortably. She had been waiting impatiently for a movement for the last five minutes, ever since Serena had gone into a dream-like state in which she claimed she could find the next scout.

Luna still didn't trust her, Serena mused. Which she supposed, was ok. Luna didn't know her from a bar of soap really.

"She was difficult." She replied as she pulled out her sceptre, "Which as I'm sure you'll realise, having known Mars before, isn't at all new." She sighed and added "Moon Sceptre Power." In a bored voice.

Luna watched her transform warily. After a week living with the girl, she had begun to trust that her motives were pure, no matter how deranged she seemed at times. There was no way she was the princess though, thought Luna tiredly. But in a way, she reasoned to herself, the princess would need a decoy, and the Scouts would need all the help they could get.

And Sailor Moon was strong. Extremely so. She had taken on three more nega monsters this week on her own when Amy was unable to help her out or had not known about the problem. And while she had had help from that strange masked man that kept appearing, most of the work had been done by Sailor Moon. And she had found it easy. Watching her, Luna had been almost frightened by the amount of power the girl displayed so casually.

She caught a whiff of lavender perfume and turned her head in time to see Sailor Mercury dash through the trees towards them.

"Welcome, Mercury. Here this is a communicator. It will allow you and Sailor Moon to contact each other easily when there's an attack."

Mercury picked up the watch and put it on with a nod. Luna felt a thrill of pride for the quiet girl. Next to Serenity, Amy had always been Luna's favourite. The quiet, meekly spoken ways and shy attitude had hidden a lethal soldier. In the last week, she had seen some of the old Sailor Mercury in the girl's eyes and had rejoiced. Mercury accepted her orders calmly, she always had, and while she made it clear she didn't appreciate the way Sailor Moon ordered her about, she accepted it.

Heaven help Sailor Moon when Sailor Mars joined the group, Luna thought with a chuckle that earned puzzled glances from the two scouts.

"I've been thinking." Said Mercury and Sailor Moon snorted quietly, "When are you not thinking?"

Mercury and Luna glared at her and she subsided with an eye roll.

"Where did the Negaverse come from?"

There was a beat of silence. Mercury was looking at Luna, obviously waiting for an answer from the cat, and Sailor Moon waited to see what Luna would say.

Luna sighed. "I don't know. No one does. There are legends, but none that are any help to us now. However we do know that the Lunarian Queen from the beginning of the Silver Millennium sealed it away, thereby creating the peaceful time that we know as the Silver Millennium. A woman from earth unleashed it in our time."

"Why?

Luna thought about what to say, but Sailor Moon spoke first, "She wanted something she couldn't have. So she craved the power to take it, and that's what she got. She's a ruler in the negaverse now."

"A ruler? There's more than one?"

"Oh yes, and as far as I know they are always vying for power against each other. It's strange that they could have banded together enough to attack earth."

"And we have to stop them... how many of us are there?"

Luna glanced sideways at Sailor Moon but since the blond scout seemed to not wish to answer that question she spoke, "Four. Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus."

Mercury threw a significant look at Sailor Moon. "No Moon."

Sailor Moon sighed, "We've already been through this. I was there, just not as a Sailor Scout. I'm sick of this talk of the past. We are in the present and we must begin your training."

Mercury glared balefully at her and Sailor Moon sighed. If Mercury, sweet, timid Mercury was so stubborn she really wasn't looking forward to dealing with Mars and Jupiter.

She shook the thoughts off.

"The first thing I need to teach you is how to move as fast as you did on the moon. There's no point in you being a Sailor Scout if you can't reach the battlefield in time...."

* * *

Hours later an exhausted Amy fell into bed, content even though every muscle ached. She had mastered the art of leaping from building to building (difficult because landing on concrete when you've been travelling at thirty miles and hours can be painful). She was content, and surprisingly pleased, not only with her progress, but with Sailor Moons reaction to her speedy learning. She wondered briefly why what the strange blond scout thought of her was so important, but it didn't matter. Whoever Sailor Moon was, whatever she was, the proud smile on her face made Amy feel like she was back in kindergarten and had just pleased her teacher. And she didn't mind the feeling at all.

* * *

The Cherry Tree Hill Shrine was peaceful, as always, but Raye could feel an odd restlessness underneath the tranquillity. She swept leaves in her traditional garb and looked around her warily. She knew by the worried look on her grandpa's face that he felt it too. It was if the Shrine was waiting for something. Something was about to change.... but the question remained, would it be for the better?

* * *

During the two weeks that followed Sailor Moons advent into Amy's life, things were busy. She fought several battles with Sailor Moon, three of which were against the General Jadeite. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask took him on, while Mercury took care of whatever monsters had bought as backup. Apart from her Sailor Scout duties and training (something that took place almost every night) she had her schoolwork to do (something that didn't usually take too long since she was a genius) as well as Serena (who could take anywhere from three to six hours a day off her spare time). They went shopping. Played games at the arcade, flirting shamelessly with Andrew as they did so. They also checked out boys at the local skating rink, apparently one of Serena's favourite haunts. Serena even taught Amy how to skate. Amy enjoyed this immensely.

Especially when the man named Darien was there. He and Serena shared an amusing animosity. Their arguments where quickly becoming legend at the rink and Amy watched in ill-concealed delight as her friend went toe-to-toe with a university graduate in a verbal spar, and sometimes won. She could not understand how Serena, who was extremely dim sometimes, could spare verbally with a man who quite clearly had a degree. At first the arguments had worried her, but after watching a few she had caught Darien grinning after one and realised he enjoyed the matches as much as she enjoyed watching them. The only person who seemed irritated after a 'match' was Serena, who could grumble for hours if Amy let her. Molly, who accompanied them sometimes, insisted that he was flirting. Serena agreed, adding darkly that he was flirting with death and she knew where her father kept a shotgun.

* * *

It was ten minutes until the end of the school day. Serena had her blond head down on her desk, waiting impatiently for the day to end. The amount of sleep she was getting lately was lessening and her school work, never stellar, was becoming atrocious. And she didn't care a jot, well; maybe she cared a little that her mother was going to lock her out of the house when she saw her latest batch of results (even more dismal than usual).

She pouted. The handsome jerk at the rink was right. She was (or soon would be) a high school dropout.

Her communicator beeped and she started upright, checked that Miss Haruna wasn't watching and checked the message rolling across the screen of her little communication device.

_*Nega-creature at edge radio station on Yamanaka St. Mercury unavailable* _

Serena stuck up her hand, startling her teacher. Miss Haruna frowned at her, not entirely sure if she was seeing things right. Serena, contributing to a maths class? Impossible.

"Please, Miss H. I need to go to the bathroom."

Miss H, aware that it was only a few minutes until home time, felt that she could put a condition on this toilet break.

"If you can tell me the answer to this sum, Serena, you can go to the toilet."

Serena shifted uncomfortably in her seat and the class snickered, well aware of how their blond classmate viewed all equations.

"Ummm... ok..." Serena murmured.

"What is X=20/5?" asked Miss Haruna.

Serena swallowed and the class waited with baited breath, "Ummm... four?" asked the blond tentatively.

Miss H blinked several times and then had to sit down.

Eventually she nodded. "You are correct. You can go."

Serena grinned and left the class at a run.

Once outside the school grounds she flicked her communicator on and called Luna.

"Anything else you can tell me?" she asked business like.

"Only that there's either more than one or its fairly powerful."

"Right, no biggie. Thanks Luna." She thumbed the communicator off and concentrated on her speed. She had found, to her surprise, that she could use her super powered speed in her normal form. It helped her get to school on time some days. Slowly she got up to her super speed, her legs eating up the ground.

There were two problems with this mode of travel, as she saw it. One was that a super fast high school girl tended to attract attention. This she countered by using back streets that weren't heavily populated. Having lived in Tokyo all her life this was no problem, she knew the streets that weren't busy off by heart.

The second problem was that when you were moving at about 60km an hour, any sort of impact _hurt. _She had to be especially careful to not trip, and especially not to run into anything. This was difficult in a lot of the small alleys she used as short cuts, since they tended to be full of bins and junk.

It only took her a few minutes to reach the radio station; thankfully today there were no mishaps on the way. She ducked inside, stepping over unconscious radio workers and transforming in a supply closet.

She found Jadeite and his monster lackey on the top floor of the three-storey building, and didn't wait to announce her presence but attacked. Unfortunately for her the monster saw her tiara speeding towards it and dodged. The tiara sailed past and embedded itself in a wall. The creature changed directions with bewildering speed and made some sort of martial arts move, catching her in the side and sending her _through _a wall. It hurt like hell, and she landed painfully on her side, the wind knocked out of her. She rolled to her feet and jerked her sparkling belt from around her waist and it morphed into the net even as she threw it into the air.

The monster had followed her through the hole, and leapt straight into the shining net before it realised what it was doing. It froze, hovering in midair because of the net. Sailor Moon knew she wouldn't get back to her tiara without encountering Jadeite so she spun her sceptre and planted the sharp end in the monsters chest. It screeched and then disintegrated.

All was silent. Sailor Moon frowned. That was too easy, and where was Jadeite?

There was a crash to her left and she spun in time to see Tuxedo Mask come flying through one of the glass windows of a studio. He landed on his back, rolled to his feet, raising his cane in time to meet Jadeites sword. The sword came down with a crunch and the cane held, but barely. She could see the cracks in it. Tuxedo Mask didn't seem much better than the cane; she could see several cuts in his tux that Sailor Moon could only assume were bleeding under the clothes. Desperately, she cast about for something to do. Her tiara was still in a wall, her sceptre was too awkward to throw and her net wasn't powerful enough to stop Jadeite.

_Damnit! What can I do?_ She asked herself angrily. _I need to help him!_

Her tiara landed in her hand. She blinked at it in surprise. _What the hell? _

Of course, no time to ponder! She threw the discus expertly at Jadeite, and it would have got him in the face if he hadn't seen it coming. _Doesn't matter_. Sailor Moon told herself, darting forwards with a swinging sceptre, _He's not picking on Tuxie anymore. That's good enough for now. _Jadeite met her sceptre with his sword, and shoved, hard. She staggered back and he darted after Tux again.

_What the hell? _Sailor Moon growled and followed, only to stumble to stop. The two men were focused intently on each other. So intently that they didn't seem to be aware of her existence. She wondered if it was a testosterone thing until she remembered the fight at the clock shop, a couple of weeks ago.

"_I guess I'll have to hill him first next time." _Jadeite had said.

A thrill of dread went through her. The General wanted to kill her ally. She cast about wildly, think quickly. Jadeite was a coward. He had left when Tux had arrived last time, so she couldn't imagine him not having some sort of trap in place to catch Tux out.

_There! _There was something strange about the tip of Jadeites sword. It was a slightly different colour than the last time she had seen it.

_Poison?_

Again the two men met with a clash of sword and cane. This time the cane broke completely. Jadeite would have got Tuxedo Mask if a certain sceptre hadn't got in the way.

Now it was a contest of strength, and not one Sailor Moon could win. All her super human strength was nothing compared to this evil general.

"Poisoned the blade, Jadeite?" she snarled, looking past the locked weapons and glaring at him from where she now stood in front of a startled Tux. "That's just a low life trick."

"Bitch." Snarled Jadeite. "I'll dance on your grave."

Sailor Moon smirked, even though his sword was getting dangerously close to her shoulder as he used his height to push down on the sword and sceptre, "wouldn't you like to know some more about why you hated Tux and I so much without even meeting us?"

He glared but she felt the pressure lessen a bit, "Why even the mention of Sailor Scouts infuriates you? I can tell you why, and you should take the answer back to your friends. Malachite, Nephrite and Zoisite that they have been brainwashed by Beryl to hate us instinctively."

At the mention of the other Generals Jadeite froze and went pale. Whoever this bitch was, she knew far too much about the supposedly secret Nega-Generals!

He glanced at her, then at the man in the Tuxedo. Logic and emotion warred within him. Logic and reason told him to attack the scout, who so obviously knew too much. Emotion, that is, hate, told him to attack the man whose very presence could infuriate him beyond reason. Somehow that man who shone so brightly and courageously powered a deep and consuming hatred within the general. Jadeite didn't pretend to understand it. He merely acted on it.

Hatred won.

With a snarl at the Scout, he flung out a wave of dark power that sent her through not one wall, but two. She blasted away, straight through two rooms before coming to a skidding stop on her back on the floor. She didn't move.

He turned to the man in the tuxedo. Tuxedo Mask threw an agonised glance towards the downed scout, before meeting Jadeites eyes with a silent challenge. Jadeite didn't understand why he hated the man so much, but he understood the message in those eyes. _Let's do this, asshole. _

He agreed wholeheartedly.

Sailor Moon groaned from several metres away.

Jadeite let a predatory grin show, "Catch me if you can asshole."

Tux merely tensed every muscle in his body.

Jadeite took off.

Tux followed.

Sailor Moon grunted in an unladylike fashion and rolled her aching body to her feet. Why the hell was the Stupid General so interested in Tuxedo Mask? It was like watching two boys fight over who has the best toy car.

Muttering curses at the stupidity of men she jogged slowly to the entrance of the now rather wrecked studio. Outside, many spectators and press waited.

For a second she debated sticking her middle finger up at them, just to see tomorrow's headlines. After all, these were the people who were to blame for the crowds wanting shots up her skirt. Seriously. Who would pay a couple thousand yen for an up-skirt shot? Perverts that's who.

Ignoring them even though she dearly wished she could give them a piece of her mind (what would Luna say to that, she wondered) she avoided them (easy with super speed) and took off down the street. As soon as she was out of sight, she leapt to the top of a building and scanned the area.

.... There!

Jadeite, followed closely by Tuxedo Mask, sprinting down a street at breakneck speed. She took off after them, leaping from building to building with ease.

Tuxedo Mask crouched behind a bush panting heavily. It had seemed like a good idea at the time to follow Jadeite. Now he wasn't so sure. He'd lost the blond man in the dark trees. Somehow between when he had entered the studio and now, it had gotten dark. He wondered just how long he'd been fighting the infernal man. He glanced around again.

Nothing. Not even a whisper.

"LOOK OUT!" shrieked a female voice and someone slammed into him hard enough to knock his hat off and send him flying through the air to land in a tangled heap under a tree.

Not a moment too soon, because the bush he had been crouching behind burst into a pillar of fire with a terrible _whooooosh._ The burst of heat washed over him and sent his hat tumbling further away. He sat up and stared in shock at the tousled Sailor Scout next to him. Sailor Moon was breathing hard, and dirty, but her eyes were alight with a dangerous fire as she slowly weaved what looked to be net of light.

"Thank you." He whispered through a dry throat.

She shot him a quick, lively grin that was somehow angry as well. It was one of those looks that kind of said "_you're welcome but I shouldn't have had to do that for you, idiot."_

Suddenly she froze, going tense, before snapping her head up and peering into the darkness around them. He didn't wait to find out what she had sensed, but grabbed her around the waist with one arm and threw himself backwards, jerking her off her feet and hauling her with him. The ground where they had been an instant ago exploded into a million different pieces in a shower of blinding colour, a painful flash in the darkness. He landed on his side, jarring his already sore shoulder painfully. Sailor Moon hit the ground against his back with a squeak and covered her head with her arms as they were showered with sharp pieces of wood and rock.

For a second there was silence, and Tuxedo Mask almost thought it might be over. But no, not yet. The ground underneath them seemed to suddenly buck downwards before arcing skyward, sending them both tumbling into the air. Sailor Moons hand caught his shirt, clinging on to him for dear life and he held her tightly with both arms. Again they landed roughly and got the wind knocked out of them.

He didn't dare stay still this time and dragged them both to their feet before dashing quickly away from the latest explosion all the time keeping all his sense trained for any sign of that bastard of a General.

Sailor Moon staggered with him for several minutes until they reached a slight hill that gave them a good view of their surrounding. There she sagged, panting and clutching her side. Obviously the fight earlier had taken a lot out of her.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

She nodded in response, before frowning and answering in a whisper, "Got a sprained wrist, I think. I'll live, I'm sure."

A swirling string of fire exploded from the tree to their right, and Sailor Moon shoved him one way before diving another way herself. He hit the ground and saw-

_*A woman in a long white dress screaming in fear*_

As he yet again tried to catch his wind.

Sailor Moon was quicker, or she wasn't bothered by any hallucinations. She didn't stop from her dive, merely rolled to her feet with the momentum of her dive and flung the net that she had readied earlier with more strength than usual over the now visible General.

"Moonlight Net, Enfold!"

Jadeite swore like a sailor as the net trapped him, holding him immobile.

Tuxedo Mask shook his head to dispel the vision and got slowly to his feet. He and Sailor Moon stood looking at the Stupid General for a second. Then he grinned,

"Well done, Sailor Moon." He clapped her on the shoulder and saw-

*_A malicious, evil smile from a redheaded womans face*_

"Thanks." She murmured without taking her gaze off the General. He watched as she lifted a hand, and pulled her tiara from her forehead, spinning it until it became the lethal discus he was familiar with and advanced on Jadeite.

"Going to finish me off, Sailor Moon?" sneered the General; though his eyes betrayed the fear he was now feeling.

Tux glanced at her. Her expression was sad. Puzzled, he glanced between the two, was there something he was missing here?

"General Jadeite of Earth, if I could heal you and bring you back to our side, I would. But the amount of darkness that Beryl has filled you with.... That would require the crystal, which I do not possess."

Tuxedo Mask felt the world tilt and sucked in a breath.

_The Crystal?_

He remembered the dreams. For weeks, months now he had been dreaming that same dream, always, always, always _bring me the crystal. It will save me. Help me! Please! _

He shook the haunting memory away and turned his attention to the interaction going on in front of him. Jadeites face had changed. He looked pleading, lost. Pathetic. Tuxedo Mask almost felt sorry for him, and then remembered what the bastard had almost done to Sailor Moon the first time they had met and changed his mind.

Sailor Moon, for her part, was remembering the bumbling, cheerful friends of Endymion's she had known on the Moon and was feeling every inch of the thousand years that separated her from that time.

"Please..." whispered Jadeite, "Please tell me who it is I dream about? She has raven hair, beautiful violet eyes and...." he trailed off; realising belatedly that the woman he dreamt of wore a Sailor Outfit.

Sailor Moon looked at him shrewdly for a second before nodding. Tuxedo Mask shifted, uncomfortable with the obvious stalling on the part of the General.

"Sailor Mars. She was your lover, over a thousand years ago, in the Silver Millennium. You murdered her the day it all went to hell."

For an instant the General Jadeite showed all the pain he felt hearing that, and then his expression closed like a door.

"Trying to trick me into believing you, eh? It won't work. Even if you defeat me the others will come. And. They. Are. Stronger!"

He shut his eyes and said something in a harsh guttural language that neither hero nor heroine knew and again the ground began to buck under their feet. There was a strange shuuuushing noise and all the air seemed to disappear and for several seconds and Sailor Moon found she could breathe. She panicked, staggering away from the general, desperately trying to reach air when a silent explosion pummelled her already beaten body into the ground, creating several small fissures at the point of impact. She lay there unmoving as the quaking stopped, leaving Tuxedo Mask to watch in horror as the General broke free of her net and disappeared in a dark swirl of mist.

Then everything was silent. Tuxedo Mask turned to Sailor Moon. She was lying on her side under one of the unburnt trees, hair spilling around her on the ground, and several cuts on her body were visible even from where he was standing. For a second he stared at her. For some reason seeing her like that made him unbearably sad –

*_the blond woman in the white dress was lying on her side. Her eyes were shut peacefully and he knew she was dead...*_

Tux shook his head and blinked until the vision dissipated. Then he hurried over, and gently shook her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open instantly and she blinked and then frowned.

"Ow…" she murmured to herself, "He packs a punch, that one."

Then, realising she wasn't alone, she looked up at Tuxedo Mask with a frown.

"He got away?"

He nodded, "Yes. He did. Are you alright?"

Her frown deepened but she didn't move. "I guess I'll live."

He relaxed a little. If she was making light of things then it couldn't be too serious. Though, he thought, as he eyed a nasty gash on her calf, that attitude might just be bravado on her part.

"What was all that about?" she asked, and he blinked at her, uncomprehending. She elaborated. "It was like you two had a vendetta going on."

He shrugged and settled down into a crouch since she didn't seem to want to move any time soon, "Don't ask me. He just came for me and kept coming."

She grunted and sat up before clutching her head. "Ouch…"

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"Fine. Fine, just a bit dizzy. I think I pushed myself a bit hard today."

"I'll say. Where's your backup? The blue one? Mercury, is it?"

She shrugged, "She was busy at school with a test. I didn't have one, so I skipped class and came. "

It was a stark reminder for Tuxedo Mask that the young woman next to him was still just a child. A little girl who attended high school. He wondered briefly what her mother would say if she knew her daughter was out fighting evil when she was supposed to be safe in school. Not to mention fighting evil in a very short skirt.

Tuxedo Mask eyed the skirt appreciatively for a second. _He_ didn't mind short skirts. In fact, he rather liked them.

"Thanks for your help, earlier." He said quickly, deliberately turning his mind back to safer topics.

"No problem, you help me out all the time, I figure I owe you about five lives."

He smiled at her, appreciating again how pretty her eyes were. Then he gave himself a mental head smack. _She's gotta be fifteen, you moron! Keep your eyes in your head! _

There was an awkward silence as he battled with his inner self and Sailor Moon took stock of her injuries. Sprained wrist, cuts everywhere (what from, she wasn't sure) and plenty of bruises that were going to be very pretty over the next day or two. Not.

She reached up and grabbed a low overhanging branch from the tree. He stepped back as she pulled herself to her feet, wanting to help but unsure about how.

It took a painfully long time for her to get to her feet, and she didn't feel any better when she did. She let go of the tree, deciding that it was time to see if she could manage without a prop.

She couldn't.

She lost her balance almost immediately, the sheer amount of energy she had lost over the last two hours making her dizzy.

"Whoa..." she muttered as she staggered.

Tuxedo Mask grabbed her arms just below the shoulder and held her steady.

"I think you should take it easy for a while." He told her carefully, "you look beat."

"Maybe you're righ-"

She fainted straight into his arms. He caught her up with a sigh and a slight eye roll. Then he glanced around, before melting into the darkness, holding his precious burden carefully.

* * *

Amy wandered home happily. She had gotten top marks on her tests at school and cram school, and was feeling that she might manage to get dux again this year, even though being a Sailor Scout was disrupting her study schedule rather often.

She hummed a little as she walked along, and didn't notice Luna on a high wall next to her until the cat landed gently on her shoulder. She jumped,

"Oh! Luna! It's just you!"

Whatever the cat thought of being 'just' herself, she kept it to herself.

"Did you see Serena at school today?" she asked carefully. The cat had received no word from the girl since just before three, and it was now going on five.

"Not since this morning. We're in different classes since they categorise us according to ability."

Luna nodded, she had already known that, "I was just wondering if we had time before she got home to do some training or not." She lied.

Amy frowned, "she's that careful of where you are? But you're a cat!"

Luna gave a cat shrug. "I know, but she feeds me so I'm not going to complain."

Amy frowned, "If it's that difficult I'm sure you could live with me."

Luna sweat dropped, "Oh, no Amy, its fine really. I was just wondering where she was. If you haven't seen her then I guess she headed home. I'll head too and Sailor Moon and I will see you later, I hope." This last was added quietly to herself as she left Amy.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask carefully laid his burden on one of the park benches before heading to the small fountain and dampening his handkerchief and returning to the unconscious girl. He began to wipe the blood and dirt off her face. As he systematically wiped and re-dunked his kerchief, he thought about the visions he kept having. It wasn't the first time he had seen them, in fact, most battles he saw flashes of a distant past. Of course, he thought, glancing back at the scout, they only happened around Sailor Moon. Whoever she was she was vitally important to the past he couldn't remember. He wondered idly if she knew the girl from his dreams. He felt as if he knew that girl, there was something so familiar about her. Then again, both the sailor scouts were familiar to him too, somehow. And not that he would admit it, but so was Jadeite. There was just something about them that made him think they were a part of whatever it was he had forgotten.

He wiped a little more blood of the pale cheek and was dunking his handkerchief in the fountain when she opened her eyes. It took a second for her to focus on her surroundings but when she did she couldn't have been more surprised. She watched as he slowly wrung his handkerchief out. He was obviously deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts." She said quietly.

He glanced up, startled, before visibly relaxing. "I thought you'd be out longer."

She sat up slowly, "I heal fast, I guess. Sorry if I startled you."

He shook his head and she watched, entranced by the fall of his hair over his eyes.

"I was thinking about the past." He continued quietly.

"What about it?" she seemed surprised, he noted. What, did she not think about it at all?

"Well, memories of the past, more specifically. I see things... when we're fighting... things that I think are memories. I suppose that sounds crazy." He sighed.

She shook her head, surprising him with a small smile, "Not really. I see memories all the time. Whenever I transform into this form I remember something new. Today it was the queen."

"Queen?"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, the Queen of the Moon. She ruled the Silver Millennium, a peaceful time. Her name was Selenity. She was killed sending her daughter and her friends, including me, to the future, to now, so that they could live happily."

"I thought you said it was a peaceful time?" he had taken the news about the moon fairly well, it seemed.

"The negaverse attacked us. So many died, the kingdom was lost. So she sent us to earth, hoping that we would be free of the negaverse." She sighed, "Obviously, that didn't happen. Anyway, my point was I remember things too."

"What else do you remember?" He asked eagerly.

She paused awkwardly. She still didn't know who he was, and while she trusted him, she wasn't totally sure she should be telling him all about the Silver Millennium.

"Well... what do you remember?" she asked hesitantly.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It was... a bright place, the place I remember. And... There was... a building, I suppose. It was huge, thought, more like ... a castle, I guess."

"A palace, maybe?" Sailor Moon asked quietly.

He snapped his fingers, "Yes, that's it, exactly, and there was lots of fountains and.... marble. Pillars of it. Everywhere. White marble. The place looks like it belongs in a fairytale."

She was nodding, he noticed, and began to feel excited, "There's more. I remember what I was wearing. Big boots, knee high. And a cape. And a sword, I had a long sword."

She had stopped nodding and had started frowning.

He continued, "And, there was an evil person. A woman, I think, with red hair. She was laughing at me."

_Beryl. _Sailor Moon thought sourly. _If she was laughing at him then I guess he's on our side. _

"There's one more thing," Tuxedo Mask continued, "there's a young woman who... well... she visits me in my dreams. I told you about her."

Sailor Moon nodded, "I remember."

"I remember her. She was wearing a white dress, and ... she was important to me somehow. I think... Maybe she was my lover."

She was silent for so long after that that he began to shift from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Well?" he asked after a pause.

"I was part of that place you mentioned. That kingdom you keep seeing was the King- well, Queendom of Lunaria. The Silver Millennium was ruled from there. Let me think."

For several minutes she sat silently, before abruptly standing and pacing between the fountain and back to the chair, her frown deepening.

"I don't suppose you can remember what you were called at all?"

He shook his head. She sighed, and paced again. He waited patiently, wondering what she would tell him

Sailor Moon, for her part, was trying desperately to control her heart rate. Everything pointed to _him._ Endymion. But was that possible? She had assumed he had not been reincarnated, that it was only the scouts that had survived, and the generals because of the darkness controlling them.

But Endymion...?

What could she do? He wanted to know who he was. She could tell him.

She wondered again, if she was the true princess. Some days she was sure that all she was a decoy, someone to draw attention to themselves so the princess could move quietly in the shadows. Other days she was sure that she herself was the princess. Her memories certainly seemed to point to that, but even with remembering something every time she transformed she still felt as if there was something she was missing, something important. Something that made a difference to wether she was Princess Serenity or not. She glanced back at him, and a speck of light on his chest caught her eye. That brooch thing, hanging from his neck. She had seen it before, and thought it familiar. Now she knew for sure. She could see it clear as day, the day it had been presented to him, the day the Earth and the Moon's alliance had been made official.

"Where you wearing that neck thing?" she asked quietly, "The thing that's hanging from your bow tie."

He glanced down at it, "Yes. This I've had since I can remember, and I remember it being given to me, last time." He made and irritated sound and shrugged, "this is all weird. This time, last time. I don't even know what I'm on about."

She chuckled, "Reincarnation is like that."

"Is that what this is, reincarnation?"

She nodded, "yes. You were once a prince. _The_ prince in fact. Of earth, when earth was ruled by one king."

A seemed flabbergasted, "A prince?" he asked weakly.

"Yes." She said gently, "Prince Endymion of Earth. Master swordsman. Diplomat. Commander of your own army, name it, and you did it." She grinned, "Bit of a hero you were, as I recall."

"You knew me?"

"Oh yes. And Jadeite, well, I know it might be hard to take, but he and his three allies that we haven't met, they were your closest friends."

"WHAT?"

She grinned easily, having expected that reaction, "I'm serious! The five of you were renowned for your bravery, courage and devil may care attitudes. You were like brothers, and tales of your exploits even reached the moon, though we were not supposed to receive any news from you. Oh, yeah, you were also womanisers."

He smiled a little at that and she rolled her eyes, but continued, "Yes you were, until..."

"Until...?"

She grinned now, remembering the meeting well, "until you met Princess Serenity of the Moon and the four Sailor Scouts. It wasn't long until the Generals and the Sailor Scouts had paired off. You and Serenity took longer."

"The princess and I...?" he sounded weak now, indeed, he had sat down with a bump. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so tragic. Here she was, maybe Serenity, maybe not, telling Endymion of his past.

She nodded, trying desperately to not feel like she was a slighted lover, "Prince and Princess. Cliché of clichés. But you truly loved each other. So much so that she died rather than live without you after your death at the end."

He looked up, as white as a sheet. "How did we die? You said only that we were sent forward in time, not how we died."

Her face closed like a door, "I think news of being a reincarnated prince is enough news for one night, you don't want to go into shock."

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself. If she wouldn't tell him she wouldn't tell him.

"Thanks for telling me that much." He said. She shrugged, and turned to go.

"You said the scouts and the generals paired up. I know Jadeite was with a Sailor Mars, so who were you with?"

She just shot him a secretive grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

**AN: Ok this is where the rewrite starts to get really different to the original. Those who read the original will know I had Sailor Moon fainting after figuring out that Tux was Endymion, and then using some of her new powers to show him his memories. That scene never sat well with me so I decided to change it. Not to mention it was very cliché. ^_^**

**This took ages to write again. Something like 20 hours over a few days, which is probably the most I've ever spent on a chapter. Its about 17 pages, whereas the old chapter was about six pages long. **

**Please review. I'd like to know how I did. Some of the completely new scenes in this I dont feel work very well and I'd like to hear what you guys think. **

**Neon  
**


	4. Remembering and the Red Scout

_**AN: Hey all thanks for your reviews! This chapter took a while and I'm not happy with the last quarter or so, so please tell me what you think. Reviews make chapters go faster! *hint hint* **_

_**So we've got a bit more action here, also, the first time Serenity rears her regal head. Not to mention Serena and Darien arguing in public. ^_^ we also get to see Mercury kicking monster booty on her own, um... what else. Oh yeah, Mars comes fireballing into play. Enjoy!**_

_**Also, swearing. *nods head* yes yes. Sailor Moon swears. If you're under 16 be careful and think about what your parents might say. It's not *bad* swearing, just a few swears here and there. **_

_**Am I making any sense whatsoever? **_

_**Anyway. **_

_**Red Scout and Remembering

* * *

**_

_There was a crash, loud and tearing through the screams and sounds of battle noise. The creature had come. He felt fear spike in his stomach, though not fear for himself. Fear for her. His love. _

"_Endymion! What's happening?" a voice, shrill with fear. _

"_Run! Please, Serenity, run!" his voice._

"_I want to stay with you!" slender hands gripped his sleeve._

"_You can't! It's too dangerous!"_

"_I won't leave you! I can't leave you! Surely you won't make me go?" _

_Silence, and then he spoke again, quietly, and even Darien recognised the defeated tone "Of course not darling. I love you!"_

Darien woke suddenly and found he was covered in sweat. Glancing at the clock he saw it was only an hour after crawling into bed.

"My god." He whispered to himself, "What happened to us?"

* * *

"It's not like her to be late." Commented Amy from where she sat on a rock. She and Luna were waiting patiently on the outskirts of town, in a small nature reserve that they had been using as Amy's stalking training facility.

"You're right. I'm getting worried." Said Luna, her tail swishing thoughtfully.

"You said there was a fight today. Could she have gotten hurt?" Amy found she was quite worried about the other scout, and that surprised her. It wasn't like they were friends or anything.

"I don't know. She didn't seem worried when she talked to me before it. 'No biggie, I think she told me."

Amy laughed, "Serena uses that expression. It always makes me laugh."

Luna pulled sour face, but Amy, busy scanning the trees for any sight of Sailor Moon, didn't notice.

* * *

Sailor Moon walked slowly out of the park, deep in thought.

_Damnit. _She growled to herself mentally, _why do I not know who I am? Am I Serenity or am I Sailor Moon? _

She remembered the voice that had spoken to her the first time she had transformed and wondered who it was. If it was still there...

_Voice, are you in me still? _She asked silently, and immediately felt stupid. Of course there was no voice inside her. She was just being-

_**Of course I am. What, did you think I would just leave you alone? **_

Sailor Moon froze on the spot, not noticing she was garnering some incredulous looks from the evening traffic.

_Who are you? _She asked silently.

_**Who do you think, little scout? **_

_I'm not little! Are you Serenity? _

_**Of course I am. I've been hiding myself here until you were ready for me. Are you ready? **_

Sailor Moon noticed the looks she was getting at last, and leapt an inhuman jump to one of the nearby tall buildings before sitting down. Serenity. She was Serenity. A wave of relief washed over her, followed immediately by one of fear. She was serenity, yes, but wasn't she Serena as well?

_I don't know. Will I lose myself?_

_**No. You have always been me, but as a very young child you locked part of us away, the part that held our memories. Can you imagine a child, acting a 19 year old princess? There would have been negative repercussions in your family. They would have locked you away! So you/I decided that it would be best to lock away your old memories until you were old enough to act on them. Lately, some have been leaking out, every time you transform because your transformed form is so close to what we were originally. Protectors, even as a Princess you kept your people safe. Do you remember? **_

_It's weird how you keep talking about we/us and then me-you. _

_**We are not quite separate, and yet we are not fully ourselves either. Not until you accept your memories. Are you ready? It may take some time. **_

Sailor Moon looked around. "No time like the present I guess." She said out loud, "I'm ready."

_**SerenityEndymionscoutslaughterlovepaindutyBerylMarsMercuryJupiterVenusUranusPlutoNeptuneSaturndeathglaivemirrorgeneralspeacewarfightbattlenegaversemotherqueenbrotherprincelawicesacrificeDiamodNemesisBlackMoonLunariaLunarianSpellsMagicPowerlovehateworthmightjoymarriagewarpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain- **_

_**Endymion! **_

Sailor Moon's eyes snapped open and she realised with a start that she was lying on her side, tears running down her face in rivulets.

Sailor Moon, now completely Serenity sat up and took in her surroundings. She'd been here a while, though it seemed like only a few minutes, the moon had changed places in the sky and she got the feeling that it was closer to morning than afternoon.

She stood, her mind swimming with som any images and feelings she could barely make sense of it all. She _was_ Serenity. She _was_ Sailor Moon, even though the scout hadn't existed on the moon. She smiled, she was a Royal Lunarian, and creating a Sailor Scout was easy for her! She could create a new scout any time, except that the scout had to be of royal blood from the planet in question. She grinned, pleased with this idea.

Then noticed that her wrist communicator was flashing with the 'message received ages ago' light.

"Oh Shit."

* * *

Sailor Mercury ducked under one swing, but caught the next in the gut and went flying into a tree.

"Damnit! Luna! Where is she?" she yelled as she struggled to her feet.

Luna, hiding under a bush not far away, couldn't say anything reassuring, so she didn't say anything at all.

"Mercury ICE BUBBLES BLAST!" bellowed Mercury, and the area filled with freezing mist. She tapped her earring and the visor appeared over her sight. Now she could easily see the two monsters, even though they couldn't see her. They had been slowed by her lowering the temperature, but only for a short amount of time. She needed to take them out quickly.

But the only attack she had was the ice bubbles. Great if you want to blind your opponent, kill them? Not so much.

But on the moon she had had other attacks, ones that could actually deal damage. It was illogical; she thought angrily, that she was unable to use them now. She had tried a few days ago, but there had been no results. All the power was still out of her reach.

So, if she couldn't attack them with power, she'd have to use physical methods. Her lip curled in distaste as she thought about it. Physical activities had never been her strong suit. She preferred to leave such things to Jupiter and Venus.

But neither of her more physical friends were present and without Sailor Moon she wasn't in a very good position.

She sighed, enough thinking, time to start acting.

She crept up behind the sluggish monster that looked like a scaly ape and kicked it behind a leg joint that she assumed was a knee. It collapsed sideways and she spun with another powerful roundhouse kick, sending it flying straight into its partner. It let out of a shriek of surprise and pain, and its partner shrieked in rage as it was sent tumbling.

Mercury would have laughed if she felt in any way secure.

The second monster, this one looking like a human spider, was quicker to recover than the ape and came charging at her from where it had fallen. It couldn't see her of course, but it came at the place where she had kicked the ape. She had already moved back into the mist and she watched as it stopped and searched for her.

_Bother. _

Her kicks and punches were powerful enough to damage, but not kill the creatures. Sailor Moon's sharp sceptre would sure come in handy.

Then she missed the ape. _Damnation!_ She thought angrily and swung around, searching for the other monster while trying to keep and eye on the spider-like one.

She couldn't see it, even with her visor.

_Damn and blast! _

And then she heard something above her, and looked up even as she reeled backwards. The ape creature came hurtling down at her from above and missed her by inches. She swung out with a powerful right hook, but that only served to throw his balance off and make him angrier. He swung out a long limb with a snarl and sent her tumbling again.

"Mercury Ice Bubbles! Maelstrom!" she made the attack up on the spot and was surprised when it _worked_. A swirling mass of icy wind slammed into the monster and froze him solid, a crystalline casing around it.

During the time it took for this to happen the other monster had moved into position and now shot a web of sticky white substance at her. She saw it coming, and turned to meet it, but needn't have bothered.

Sailor Moon caught the blast on her sceptre and let it wind around the silver staff until the monster realised it wasn't doing any good and stopped it. For a second, scout and creature stared at each other, and then Sailor Moon grinned. It was a grin no one had seen on her face before, knowing and smug, but at the same time gentle and apologetic.

"Moon Sceptre Power." It was also the first time anyone had seen this attack, a thin beam of silver light shot out of the end of the sceptre, burning the web from the rod and shooting straight through the monster. It grunted in surprise and- disappeared.

Mercury watched in surprise as Sailor Moon did the same to the frozen monster. When she was done the blond scout turned and smiled at Mercury, and for the first time Mercury and Luna noticed how tattered her uniform was. The red bow at the small of her back was almost completely gone, while her gloves were soiled almost to the elbow. Her skirt had several tears in it, and her collar was tattered too. There was also blood on her face, and she looked like she had been crying.

"Sorry I'm late. Got caught up with Jadeite. I like your new freezing attack, Mercury. Nice. If we don't want to get rid of them, we could sell them as ice sculptures."

Mercury found herself grinning at the idea.

"Still," continued Sailor Moon, "I'd like Mars to hurry up and join in. She's being very stubborn."

"Do you know who she is?"

Sailor Moon nodded, "Yes. She's close to joining us... which will be nice, of course, but I'm a bit worried about how she'll react when she sees Jadeite."

She shot them a worried look, "This isn't going to get any easier."

* * *

The first in a long line of horrific dreams came to Serena that night.

_She watched like one watched a movie. Sailor Mercury, her uniform torn and bloodied knelt in front of a man with long blond hair tied in a ponytail. He held a sword covered with blood. Mercury had her hands clasped, and tears were streaming down her face. She was staring at the floor. "I don't know what she did to you, darling." She whispered through cracked lips, "but I swear on the name and honour of Mercury that I will, someday, somehow, find a way to undo the evil done here this day. If that means dying by your hand then I accept it." She raised her blue haired head and met the eyes of her executioner. "I love you." She whispered. Zoisite pulled back his sword and thrust it forwards.  
_

Serena woke as the sword entered her friend's chest. Her room echoed with the sounds of her own scream.

* * *

Dr Arina Mizuno glanced up from her late afternoon coffee when she heard a knock at the door. She glanced into the living room where Amy sat, surrounded by homework.

"Are you expecting someone, dear?" she called as she stood to answer the door.

Amy looked up and frowned, "Oh, maybe. Serena said she might pop around."

Arina immediately hurried to the door. Amy had talked of nothing but her new friend for a couple of weeks now, and she was eager to meet her. From what she had heard, the girl did not seem very bright and not at all the kind of friend Amy usually made at school, if she made friends at all.

She opened the door and found herself pausing. Amy had never said Serena was beautiful. Oh, sure the girl still had a little puppy fat in the cheeks, and there was innocence in her expression that was indicative of her age, but she would be glorious. The golden hair, pale skin, blue eyes and that golden smile...

"Hi! You must be Doctor Mizuno! Amy's told me all about you! I'm Serena Tsukino, pleased to meet you!"

She actually did sound pleased, Arina reflected as she showed her daughters friend in. It wasn't often a teenager enjoyed meeting a friend's parents, but Serena gave no sign that she was uncomfortable, and chatted gaily with her while Arina showed her through the house to the lounge.

"Hi Amy!" she chirped as Arina showed her in.

Amy looked up, and Arina was taken aback by the look on her daughters face. It was a look she had never seen before. Amy had often been uncomfortable around even her best friends before, now she smiled in an easy and relaxed manner at this strange blond girl.

She left them to it, but listened from the kitchen as Amy explained to Serena the finer points of arithmetic. She found her original assumption had been incorrect; Serena wasn't stupid, in fact, if the speed by which she was picking up these apparently new concepts pointed to her intelligence being rather high. She wondered why she had such bad grades, as Amy had mentioned.

Two hours later, Serena left with a promise to see her friend at school the next day. Arina wandered into the lounge as her daughter began to pack up her books.

"Oh, hi mum. Sorry, I didn't realise how far behind she was when I offered to give her a hand."

"She's obviously capable, Amy. I hope you don't mind, but I listened in for a while. She picked up everything you taught her fairly quickly, I thought. Why was so far behind in the first place?"

Amy nodded and then shrugged her expression sad. "I asked Molly that. She said that last year Serena was in an accident. She snapped a couple of vertebrae in her neck or something, and had to spend a lot of time in hospital. When she returned to school she was offered no extra help and no work to catch up with. So she's been behind ever since. I think she just stopped paying attention because she didn't get it and it made it worse."

"An accident?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah, she was hit by a car or something. And her parents are still paying off the hospital fees according to Molly. Then earlier this year her brother contracted glandular fever and she had to nurse him because both her parents work."

"Oh dear, the poor girl."

Amy shrugged as she repacked her books into her bag, "You wouldn't know to look at her of course. She so bouncy and bubbly all the time. Actually, it can be annoying, when she refuses to be serious. The only time I've seen her angry is when a guy at the rink teases her, and in my opinion he's just flirting, and she's overreacting."

Arina smiled at that. "Well she's a lovely girl; I hope you invite her over again."

"I'll tell her you said that. I will, now though, I'm having a shower and going to bed."

"My, its early!"

"I know. But I haven't been sleeping very well."

"Dreams about your father still?"

Amy gave a half shrug, "Sometimes. Sometimes its dreams about that monster at the cram school. And its friends."

* * *

Serena skidded to a stop dangerously close to a couple girls, and grinned at their delighted shrieks. The little things were just learning to skate, and were still holding onto the rail.

"So when are you guys gonna give me a run for my money?" she asked the little ones, none of whom were taller than her waist. They grinned at her.

"Tomorrow!" they chorused

Serena laughed, following an old script and held out her hands in dismay, "But tomorrow never comes!" she cried.

They laughed, and she stood talking with them for several minutes until their teacher arrived.

Serena watched them for a few minutes, and then did another lap of the rink, keeping away from learners. Spin, skate, spin.

She was extremely bored. She had only come to the rink because she didn't want to go home, even though a pile of homework beckoned her... and a hot dinner... and warm bed.

She exited the rink and sat on one of the bench seats that ringed the large room. Across the other side there was a grandstand, and she idly looked for Darien, half hoping to have a fight. It would break up the monotony, at least.

Nope, no idiot-Shields here today.

She sighed and took a swig of her juice. _May as well head home,_ she thought tiredly, _and do that damn homework that Amy and I didn't get around to. Damnit. A princess doesn't need to know math! She needs to know how not to insult a diplomatic envoy, or greet a Venurian of lesser significance, not x times minus y equals t by four! _

She sighed again, before emptying her juice bottle, tossing it in the trash and packing her gear. She headed home slowly. There had been four fights this week, and her lack of sleep was really starting to take its toll. The extra energy she expended as a Sailor Scout wasn't easily replaced, especially when she wasn't getting enough sleep. She was eating more, and eating more sugar to make up for the low energy levels. She astounded her mother with the amount of food she could consume, she knew, but all Sailor Scouts were like that. She remembered clearly that on the moon the girls had had to have an extra meal a day when they were using their powers regularly.

At least she didn't put on any extra weight, even with all the extra food. In fact, if anything, she was losing weight. That was a plus.

She sighed yet again and rounded a corner only to end up on her rear on the pavement after being slammed into by a force equivalent to a train. She caught her fall with one hand, hurting her wrist as she did so and then she sat where she was, blinking in shock for a second. Then she looked up at the man who was sitting a foot away, in a similar fashion, having come to a sudden stop from his brisk job.

She would have apologised, except for two things. One, all she had been doing was walking home. She hadn't even been walking in the middle of the footpath, and _he_ had bumped into _her_.

Second, _he_ was Darien Shields. And _he _didn't accept apologies.

"Huh." She spoke first because he seemed dazed, "I would apologise, since I'm a nice person who apologises for things that aren't my fault because it's what polite people do. However, I know you don't like apologies, so I won't. I'd also ask if you were alright, but I don't care. Since I know you're not a polite person, I won't expect and apology from you. I also wont expect an 'are you alright' because, apparently, that's a stupid question. I also won't sue for compensation, in case you were wondering."

His eyes had finally focused, and the apart of her mind free to wonder at erroneous things, wondered why such a jerk had been given such a perfect pair of gorgeous blue eyes.

Darien gave his head a shake as if to clear it, and glared at her.

"Gee, thanks. I'm ever so grateful."

Serena's eyebrows shot up and she started to laugh. "Wow! Did you hit your head or something? That comeback was the worst you've ever given!"

Darien couldn't help himself. Her melodic bell-like laughter was infectious and he chuckled a little self-depreciatingly, "It was rather lame, wasn't it?"

She chortled as she got to her feet and picked up her sports bag, "I'll say. What, have you had a brain transplant or something?"

"It's not me who needs the brains transplant, Miss Dropout!" he fired back as he stood as well and picked up his iPod from where it had fallen.

She grinned as she hefted the bag back on to her shoulder, "That's better. Much more like the baka I'm used to. Where'd you go, the funny farm? And don't call me Dropout!"

Darien noticed the slight wince, and the way she was favouring her wrist as she pulled her bag over her head.

"Did you hurt yourself at skating?" he asked with a frown, looking deliberately at the hand so she would understand what he was talking about.

Serena glanced down at the hand she had unconsciously been holding against her body.

"Ah," she said, "Yeah. I, ah, fell over at the rink. You know what it's like. Some poor innocent person just throws away a bit of rubbish and it gets out into the rink without them meaning for it to, and knock you over. Flat on your face and all."

Darien tried very, very hard not to grin "Oh, don't worry, Dropout. It happens to the best of us. And the worst, obviously."

She glowered at him.

He continued in an airy manner, "Why just the other day, something similar happened to me. Of course, the perpetrator was not as innocent as in your case."

She was slowly going red now, her glower turning into a glare.

"Indeed, I believe she did it deliberately in order to orchestrate a meeting with me." He flung back his hair and posed, "I am, after all, extremely handsome."

"Narcissist." She muttered under her breath.

"Yes," he continued in a flowery manner, "you can't blame the girl. It's not often that one comes across one such as I. Such beauty, intelligence and athleticism are rare in this day and age."

Serena made a very loud gagging noise.

"Is it any wonder that she came to love me from afar?"

Serena, now bright red, lost it.

"AS IF YOU NARCISSIST PIG! I WOULDNT FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU IF YOU WERE THE LAST GUY ON EARTH!" she shrieked before stalking off down the street and leaving him chuckling to himself before continuing his jog.

* * *

Serena stormed home. _Damn him, his quick wit and his hard abs! _

She immediately thought of Endymion, and felt a small surge of guilt. Here she was, half-flirting with an idiot when her dear sweet Endymion was searching for her.

_The next time I see him I'll tell him who I am, as soon as I can. _She told herself.

The next couple of days were mercifully quiet, allowing both scouts and caped crusader to gain some much needed rest. Serena also used the time to catch up on her lagging homework and friendship with Molly. It was Molly who accompanied her on her first visit to Cherry Tree Hill Shrine. The two girls went looking for good luck charms to help them in the upcoming exams.

They were accosted by a strange, little old man with a lecherous grin almost immediately upon stepping onto Shrine grounds.

"He-llo my pretty ladies!" he began, and Serena and Molly exchanged a glance that was half amusement, half horror. _Uh oh, lecher alert!_

"Hi." They both responded, too polite to not reply, though their reply did carry a fair amount of wariness.

"Two such lovely buxom ladies as your fine selves must be in need of a little extra cash, hmm? How would you like to earn some money, hmmmm?"

Serena raised an eyebrow in a beautifully done expression of disbelief, "Did you just say buxom?"

She glanced down at her chest. Then shot a glance at Molly, who was trying not to laugh at the wistful expression on Serena's face.

"Now, Old Man," she continued before he could reply, "I know you're nuts. No one in their right mind would call _me_ buxom. Molly, well, her picture is in the dictionary next to buxom. Mine? Not so much. So go back to your funny farm and leave us alone."

The little old man left, looking a little crestfallen, and Molly laughed when she spied a similar look on Serena's face.

"Come on Serena, you have the best legs in Japan. It had to come with a price, right?"

"Couldn't the price have been bad hands? I could have lived with bad hands. But no. I get no boobs, great legs, and good hands. There is no justice in the world."

The girls collected their charms from the young man selling them and were about to leave when-

"PSSST!"

They glanced around, and spied a shrine maiden peering at them from behind a sakura tree nearby. She mouthed 'follow' and turned away.

Serena recognised her immediately, and responded to her beckoning without being aware of Molly's hissed "Lets just go! She's creepy!"

_Fancy Mars being in a Shrine._ She thought wryly as she picked her way through the shrine garden after the retreating figure. _Suits her perfectly. _

They reached a little clearing, where the Shrine Maiden was waiting.

"I want to apologise for my grandfather." She said, bowing very low, "He means well. We need more help here and he thinks the best way to get it is to 'flatter' young woman. He doesn't realise how lecherous he sounds. I am truly sorry."

"No way!" cried Molly, "That old fella is actually your grandad? So he's like the Shrine master?"

Raye nodded.

Serena, still a little thrown by finding Raye merely nodded her head.

Raye continued, "I try and try to make him understand, but he just doesn't get it."

Molly grinned, "It's alright, we don't mind. Were you listening? Serena handled him fairly well, I think. I hope he wasn't too insulted."

Raye glanced at the silent blond girl curiously. "Yeah, he's alright. Just confused as usual. It's the best way to deal with him."

Molly nudged her friend.

"Hm?" Serena turned to her, puzzled, before remembering herself and turning back to Raye, "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm Serena, by the way. This is Molly. Nice to meet you."

"Raye Hino, pleased to meet you."

And so it began. At first, things went smoothly, and Serena and Molly spent about an hour or so at the Shrine with Raye that day. They came back the next day for afternoon tea, and Serena made some erroneous comment about a pop star, and Raye somehow took offense. The argument began, and ended (as they always had) with a raspberry war.

Serena smiled all the way home.

* * *

The next day the news was full of how a bus of school children had disappeared en route to a school. Serena caught sight of the television as she raced through the house because she was late again and grabbed a newspaper on her way to school. She read it as soon as she got to school (only just in time). They disappeared near Cherry Tree Hill Temple.

_Poor Raye will bear the brunt of this. _She thought sadly.

She was right. When she and Molly visited that afternoon they found the shrine maiden in a fit of depression.

"Three separate groups of people have come looking for me at school today and blamed me for the disappearances because of my psychic abilities!" She told them angrily.

Molly made sympathetic noises while Serena wondered aloud where their brains were.

Inwardly, Serena did wonder why the route near the shrine had been chosen. Could Raye's powerful aura be drawing the Nega monsters to this place? So far Amy hadn't had any trouble, but Raye's aura had always been stronger than hers...

Her musings were cut short by Raye herself, jumping to her feet and letting out a shout of horror.

"I can sense something!" she cried, and flung herself out the door leaving Serena and Molly to follow. By now Serena could feel it too, that all too familiar sensation. A Nega monster was nearby.

She and Molly followed the sprinting shrine maiden down the stairs that led to the shrine.

Serena glanced up as she followed Molly and Raye down the stairs and saw a flash of white and blue in the trees and suppressed a grin. Trust Mercury to investigate.

She reached the bottom of the stairs in time to see the bus disappear into a black and gray warp the size of a house, and was about to dash in after it when she remembered she wasn't Sailor Moon at the moment, she was Serena. And Serena would panic at the sight of a monster warp...

"Oh MY GAWD!" she shrieked, "It just disappeared- Whoa, Sailor Mercury? For Real?"

Sailor Mercury, who had just landed next to her, threw her a tired look. Somehow she had expected that reaction from the blond.

"Wow!" breathed Molly, staring wide-eyed at the scout.

Raye stared at the scout, something inside her churning. Something was wrong here. Wrong... or right...?

"You three need to go back to the shrine. Now." Mercury snapped out in a tone that brooked no argument.

Molly 'meeped', Serena glowered despite herself and Raye was already halfway up the steps.

As she ascended the steps Serena looked over her shoulder to see Mercury begin to scan the warp.

From the top of the steps Molly let out a scream, "RAYE!"

Serena heard Raye shriek and took the steps three at a time in a panic.

She reached the top inside to see Molly on the ground, unconscious, and Raye disappearing into another smaller warp, this one as big as a couch. Raye was kicking and screaming, and for a second her terrified met Serena's horrified ones. Then she was gone.

Serena took a glance around. There was no one. She and Molly had been the only ones in the Shrine. She transformed and dived into the warp.

Inside the warp there was no up, no down. No left and no right. Everywhere there was a swirling mass of black and grey. There was barely any light, and what light there was was filtered as if through water, and seemed to be speckled and continually shifting. There was no noise.

Sailor Moon spun on the spot, searching everywhere for any sign of Raye.

Nope. She could see several buses but no Shrine Maiden. Glancing inside one of the buses she could see several children, all of whom looked like they were fast asleep.

"Raye!" she called, desperately moving through the warp, eyes searching everywhere. Her voice echoed eerily.

"Raye! Where are you?"

There was a small sound to her left and she spun in that direction, searching frantically. She rounded the corner of a bus and saw Raye struggling with a monster that seemed to have a never ending number of arms.

"Wow." Sailor Moon muttered in surprise, "That's new."

Raye saw the scout out of the corner of her eye and glanced over at her, even as the monster wrapped its arms around her neck. Sailor Moons blue eyes met her violet ones, and widened.

The red Mars Glyph was glowing on Raye's forehead.

Sailor Moon threw her tiara without any of the usual power-up spells, and it sped towards the monster in a flash of silver. The monster jerked back, but too late, the tiara slammed into its shoulder and sent it sprawling, and to Sailor Moon's satisfaction, it let go of Raye as it did so.

Sailor Moon summoned the red Mars Wand into her hand and held it out as Raye got slowly to her feet.

"Here. I believe you know what to do with this?" she said quietly as Raye stared in shock.

The girl looked at her, and back at the wand. Sailor Moon's heart broke when she saw the fear in her dear friends face.

"Don't be scared, it's alright." She said gently, "Everything will change, yes. Some changes will be bad, but Raye, you're about to rejoin an elite group that counted you as sister once."

Raye took the wand. "What do I have to do?"

"Hold it up and say 'Mars Power'. It'll do the rest."

Raye did as she was bid, "Mars power!"

A swirling stream of fire erupted from the wand and engulfed the startled girl. Raye would have screamed, but the second she opened her mouth to do so she realised that the fire wasn't hurting her. It was changing her.

She watched in amazement as her uniform appeared. The fire faded, and she stood as a Sailor Scout, looking down at herself.

"Holy…" she muttered, and tugged at her skirt, "IT'S SO SHORT!"

Sailor Moon, who had long ago given up on trying to protect her modesty just shrugged, "You get used to it."

"How the hell do you fight in this? Just walking will flash everyone in the vicinity!"

"So flash everyone in the vicinity." Sailor Moon snapped impatiently, "who cares as long as you're saving lives!"

"Well excuse me for not wanting to look like a slut!" Mars snapped, "And who the hell are you anyway? I don't remember a Sailor Moon."

Moon nodded, "Give the girl a medal. She noticed."

Mars glowered at her and she continued, unfazed by the familiar scowl.

"I didn't exist on the moon as I am now. I became a Sailor Scout in this time to lead you and the others until the crystal is found and restored to Serenity."

"_You're _the _leader?_" Raye cried in horror, "Where's Venus?"

Sailor Moon shrugged yet again, "Who knows? I haven't seen her."

"And you want me to take orders from you? Yeah right. I _don't think so_, blondie."

Sailor Moon's eyebrow twitched. "Did you just call me blondie? Oh you are so…"

Just then the monster attacked again, tackling Sailor Moon and sending her flying into a bus, leaving a dent in the metal. Mars let out a yelp, Sailor Moon swore, and bought her sceptre down on the head of the monster. But its many arms were already wrapping around her and she was struggling to get another blow in.

"Do something, Damnit!" she cried at the new scout.

"What?" asked Mars, wringing her hands, "I can't remember my attacks!"

"ARE YOU THE SCOUT OF FIRE AND WAR OR ARENT YOU?" bellowed the blond.

"Oh. Um…" knowledge came to her with a rush of clarity, "MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

Fire spewed from her fingertips and rushed towards the monster and struggling Sailor. The monster saw it coming and released Moon to throw its many arms up in front of its face as a shield. Sailor Moon leapt straight up, away from the blast, and landed safely onto of one of the buses.

The arms held for an instant against the inferno. But Mars kept up the onslaught and soon it disintegrated with a scream.

"Done and dusted." Crowed Sailor Moon from her perch, "Now, we have to get out of here. Do you know how to drive, by any chance?"

Mars shook her head, too exhausted to speak.

"Damn. Ok, well we'll just have to wake up the bus drivers. It should be fairly easy, the monster was draining them but with its death all their energy should return. Same with the kids. You head that way and start waking, I'll go this."

Mars found herself obeying without comment. Then she realised what she was doing and swore. Next time she wouldn't be so easy to order around!

Sailor Moon began to weave a new net, this one longer and much stronger than normal. She woke one bus driver- the poor fellow was shocked to find a Sailor Scout standing over him but he caught on quickly to what she wanted him to do. Amazingly, the bus engines worked in the warp, and when he pressed the accelerator the bus actually moved.

By this time all the kids were waking up in the back and both Sailor Scouts had a very busy few minutes calming them down.

Sailor Moon soon left the soothing to Mars, and leapt back up to the roof of a bus. She stood there for a second, gauging distance, before hurling her now huge light net in the air above her head.

"Moon-light Net, ENFOLD!"

The net stretched and reached out, ensnaring all of the buses in its web. Mars watched in amazement.

"Ok!" Sailor Moon called, dropping into a crouch, "Mars, we need to open the warp back to our world or this will be pointless."

"And how are we gonna do that blondie?" demanded the Red Scout, hands on hips.

Sailor Moon rolled her eyes, _some things never change._

"I'll need you to throw everything you have at me." She told the new scout.

Mars started to nod, stopped, and then turned amazed eyes at her. "WHAT?"

Sailor Moon grinned, "I can act as a focus and create a way back to the shrine, exactly where the buses left from."

"HOW?"

"I'll use all the power from you and I to create and hold a tunnel out of this warp. It'll split the warp, destroying it in the process. Hopefully together we'll have enough power to hold the tunnel open until all the buses are free."

Mars stared at her, and tried to process that. She didn't understand it so she didn't bother trying too hard. That had always been Mercury's forte.

She sighed. "Fine, whatever. If you want to kill yourself, then that's fine. Let's just get out of here. This place gives me the willies."

"Aww. Scared?" Sailor Moon couldn't resist.

Mars shot her a glare and turned away.

"Fine, fine, sorry. Let's get this happening. We've got to get these kids out of here."

"Alright then. What do I do?"

"Attack me, basically."

Mars shot her a feral grin that made the Moon Scout begin to wonder if her decision had been wise.

"MARS POWER!" bellowed the scout, and flung a hand out pointing at Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon herself shut her eyes and concentrated. All the power Mars flung at her wrapped around her until it felt like she was standing in a hurricane.

"Moon Power!"

Her own power joined Mars, and Mars herself watched as Sailor Moon stood and flung a hand out in front of her and said a few words that Mars didn't know.

The swirl of red and white power- hers and Moons- surged forwards and there was a silent explosion that set the kids screaming inside the buses. Mars dashed to the nearest to calm the kids down.

Sailor Moon held the stream of power steady, grimacing with the effort as it bucked and seemed to try and escape her. Sailor powers were difficult to control at the best of times, but controlling someone else's sailor powers was doubly difficult as controlling your own.

Mars signalled the bus drivers, and amazingly they all caught on. Several engines caught and started. Sailor Moon sat quickly on the top of the bus so she didn't fall over and one by one the buses headed for the swirl of red and white power. There was a glow of daylight in the centre now, Mars noted as she stepped up into a bus for the ride. She glanced back up at Sailor Moon. The strain the girl was feeling was now obvious: she was frowning and there was a glistening of sweat on her face.

As she watched, a dark figure appeared behind Sailor Moon. Mars knew what it was instantly, and let out a cry of warning.

Sailor Moon glanced around but didn't turn to meet the assailant and Mars realised with horror that she knew she had to hold the power or the portal would shut.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she yelled at the creature. This one looked like a snake, and she could see it glistening, so it had some sort of coating. She swung out of the bus and ran towards the bus Sailor Moon was on.

She was too slow. Even as her feet hit the ground she saw the snake-like creature rear back and strike with fangs the size of knives. It struck for Sailor Moon's neck, but a relieved Mars watched as in the last instant Sailor Moon rolled sideways and bought up a shoulder, protecting the soft skin of her neck. The blow still struck, but not nearly so deeply. The blow sent Sailor Moon sliding along the smooth roof of the bus before toppling off with a yelp.

Mars threw a burst of fire at the monster, and whatever the slimy substance on its skin was, it was flammable. The creature went up like guy Fawkes.

Sailor Moon rolled to her feet and took a look at her shoulder.

"Owie." She muttered, pulling a face at the several fang holes now puncturing her skin. It didn't seem like anything was broken, and she hoped to high heaven that the monster hadn't had poison in its fangs.

"You alright?" asked Mars from above her.

"Peachy keen. The monster?"

"Ash."

"Nice!"

"The portal's shutting."

"…Not nice."

Both Sailors turned to watch, one in resigned irritation, one in horror as the portal slipped first to the size of a car, and then a small child.

"Damn." Muttered Moon.

Then they saw something that gave them hope even before they realised what it was. A small blue lick, no bigger than a pin prick at first.

Sailor Moon clapped a hand on Mars' shoulder and winced as she jolted her own shoulder.

"It's Mercury, c'mon, while she's holding it open!"

Mars ran to a bus and jumped on, but Sailor Moon used a burst of Sailor speed to get ahead of all of the buses and grab her net where it stretched across the lot.

"Grab onto something!" she yelled, and saw Mars relaying her order. When Mars nodded at her she stepped forward and gave the net a tug with her good arm. A Sailor Powered tug, that is. All the busses burst forward as if they were racing cars. Sailor Moon ran ahead, pulling them along and heading towards Mercury's' little blue light.

Sailor Moon burst out in to the sunlight of earth, and skidded to a stop, sucking a breath of horror in.

"Get out of the way!" she screeched at the dozens of reporters, police and men in suits.

They stared at her. Sailor Moon gave the glowing net another haul "I SAID MOVE!"

They scattered as six buses burst from apparently nowhere and came to a screeching stop as Sailor Moon tugged the net back the way they had come (after dodging several of the careening vehicles) to make them screech to a stop.

Buses bounced against each other, spun and metal screeched, but then there was silence, and while Sailor Moon hadn't managed to park them very well (two were backwards) she didn't think she's be in trouble.

She dropped the net and turned to Mercury, who was standing open-mouthed a few feet away. "Thanks Mercury that was a great help."

Mercury merely nodded, "What happened to your shoulder?"

"Snakey thing."

"Oh. Did you get it?"

"I'm insulted by that question, you know. But I have to be honest. It wasn't me who got it but our new team mate. Sailor Mars."

Mars had approached while they were talking, "Everyone's listening to you two, you know."

Moon glanced around, indeed, all the reporters, police, government official and all the spectators where staring at them.

Sailor Moon raised an eyebrow. "Well, let's ignore them. Get these kids unloaded."

The three scouts split up and the onlookers watched as they began ushering kids off the buses. Some of the reporters woke up enough to begin life-changing reports and photographers began clicking away.

There were several iconic shots taken that day. One that became extremely famous and well known over the next few months was a still of Sailor Moon, stepping from a bus with a small child in her arms. The Sailor's face was slightly fuzzy, though it was obvious she was smiling and the rest of the photo was starkly clear. It showed the wound on her shoulder with brutal clarity and the teary face of the child in her arms. The child wasn't crying, but it was obvious he had been -there were tear tracks down his cheeks, but he was currently smiling at the scout, and wrapping his arms around her neck.

Another shot that became legend, and was often used in the next few months as the Sailor Scouts became more and more popular with the general public was a picture of all three scouts walking away from the scene. It simply showed them from the back as they strode off down the street, Mercury walking to the right of Sailor Moon, while Mars strode to her left. Because it didn't show their faces this picture was in focus. The magic of the identity concealing Sailor Suits only worked on the face, Luna would explain to them later.

The photographer snapped this shot, new it was good, and glanced over the top of his camera to find the three girls gone.

* * *

The three girls in Sailor Suits landed on top of Cherry Tree Hill amidst bushes rocks and trees, hiding them from any prying eyes.

"Mars, meet Mercury again. Mercury, I'm sure you remember Mars."

"How could I forget the pyro?"

"Hey! No fair! In that case, how could I forget the brainiac?"

"I think she'll take that as a compliment, Mars." Said Moon wryly.

"Whatever, blondie."

"Stop calling me that! My name is Sailor Moon!"

"Yeah right. And mines Garfunkel." Snapped Mars sarcastically.

"I'm Amy Mizuno when I'm at home." Said Amy before the two could start a war.

"Raye Hino. It's great to see you Amy, I didn't even realise how much I was missing you until today. How did we even end up with the same first names as last time?"

"I've missed you too." said Mercury warmly, "And Jupiter and Venus, of course. Sorry, I don't know. I don't mind of course."

"Your names are part of who you are. They had to come forward with you." Sailor Moon said quietly, sadly, Mars thought, but it was just a fleeting impression.

"What about you, blondie? What's your name?"

"Oh, she won't tell you. I've tried, believe me." Said Mercury tiredly, flinging herself down on a rock.

"What? Why?" growled Mars, turning angry eyes to the blue and red scout, who stepped back.

"Because if you knew who I really was I very much doubt you'd listen to me. Not that you listen at the moment, but still."

"You don't trust us at all, do you?" Sneered Mars.

Sailor Moon shrugged, "give me a reason to trust you and I might."

"We need a reason to trust you first!" growled Mars.

"I am Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars. That should be reason enough!"

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Mars," spoke Mercury from where she sat, "A Sailor Scout can only be created by a royal Lunarian. So either Selenity or Serenity gave Sailor Moon her powers."

"And as such you should at least trust that I have the best interest of Serenity and the Scouts at heart. Earth as well, it is our home now and I won't let anything happen to it. Besides, if you guys had been stronger perhaps we wouldn't have needed to create a Sailor Moon at all and we wouldn't be having this ridiculous conversation."

"There has never been a Sailor Scout of the Moon. There was never a need!" Said Mercury angrily.

"If there was any time that had a need of me, it is now." Countered Moon quietly. "I'm here to lead you and protect the earth until the princess appears and can take over. I told you that already!"

"I don't care and I don't believe you!" yelled Mars! "You are not one of us! You weren't with us at the end, you don't get to just turn up and expect us to listen to you! For all we know you were hiding under a rock when Selenity died!"

"I was there!" roared Moon, and the raw pain and anger in her voice made Mars flinch. Moon, seeing this took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Mars, Sailor Moon was on the moon. Just not as she is now. Out of all of us who stayed the same, she changed herself so she could help. Don't accuse her of cowardice for that is something she is not. Truly she is not." Mercury stood and laid a calming hand on Mars shoulder.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I trust her." she added, and saw Sailor Moons eyes widen in surprise.

"Well I don't." Grumbled Mars.

"If you're so eager to be rid of me, Mars, then perhaps you should use that special fire of yours to find Jupiter, Venus and Serenity. Once Venus is here I can retire and you won't have to put u with me any longer."

"I'll do that." Snarled Mars.

Sailor Moon was no longer listening. She had her head turned to the side and seemed to be concentrating on something.

"...Mercury..." she said quietly, "Explain to Mars about the Negaverse, will you? And Beryl. And... that guy we all know that she really needs to know about...There's... something... nearby... something I need to investigate...."

"We'll come too." Said Mars immediately.

Sailor Moon's attention snapped back to her, her blue eyes glinting with suppressed anger.

"As a Sailor Scout you are supposed to be responsible, Mars. Yet you wish to dash off into another battle when you can barely stand?" she growled.

It was true; Mars was shaking where she stood.

"Detransform, both of you. Mercury. Explain."

"What about you?" demanded Mercury, "Your shoulder...?"

"Is healed completely." Sailor Moon showed them, and true enough there was dried blood but no wound there, "I'll see both of you tomorrow night at midnight. Mercury, if you have time today to start Mars' training, then go to it. Mars, this is for you." She handed Mars a red watch.

And then she was gone, striding off into the bush with a quick step.

"This is so messed up." Grumbled Mars, even as she detransformed.

"I know," said Amy from where she had sat down again, "but truly, Raye, she's on our side. We don't have to like it but we do have to endure it until Serenity is found."

"... You know," said Mars quietly, "I can't even remember her face. Just that she was a dear friend."

"Neither can I. I asked Luna about it and she said it's because we've met the Princess at some point in our lives and the protective spells around her have made sure we don't recognise her before she is ready to be recognised."

"I think I understand that.... so tell me about the negaverse thing she mentioned."

"Sit down. This will take a while...."

* * *

**AN: You guys are lucky there's a chapter at all, you know. This week has been horrendously busy (so tired!). **

**Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter! Special thanks to the anon reviewers, MewMoon, Ladyofemeraldflames and Linds because I can't PM you. **

**Please let me know if there's anything that needs fixing. I haven't had time this week to proof read it properly. **

**Also, I've started using my online journal at live journal as a sneak preview for chapters, if anyone's interested. It's a public journal so you don't have to have an account to view it. I will be posting previews midweek for this story. **


	5. Of Ballgowns and Bathing Suits

**AN: so its three degrees outside, I'm my room, in my bed with my electric blanket on and I'm wearing five layers because our heater has run out of gas and we can't get any more until Monday. Yay. **

**Also. This is a girlie chapter. It just turned out that way. There's make up, models, ball gowns and dancing. Just so you know. Manly men be warned!**

**Also, my apologies for not updating earlier. Since I am on holiday I thought I'd have more time... but apparently time is even more precious now... So from now on I'll stick to the Sunday update schedule and if I manage to update before then, well, kudos to me! **

**Enjoy**

**The ball and other things... **

* * *

The very next day was a beautiful Saturday. Serena and Molly appeared at the Shrine, armed with chocolate and DVDs. They also dragged Amy along with them. This ofcourse led to an awkward scene where Amy and Raye pretended (badly) to not know each other. Molly didn't notice anything, and Serena pretended not to notice anything, secretly amused at the awkward conversation. They spent the night watching DVDs and reading manga, or at least Serena read manga and laughed aloud until Molly smacked her over the head with a pillow, and after that the pillow war took on epic proportions.

* * *

"Hey Serena!" called Molly the next Monday when Serena got to school (early for once), "did you see all the cop cars this morning?"

"I sure did. One almost hit me!" well, ok, maybe she had leapt over it in her headlong sailor powered sprint. She was pretty sure the cops hadn't even known she was there...

"I can't figure out why they're all about so sudden!" said Molly as they walked to class.

"Isn't that Princess Dee visiting?" asked Serena in surprise. The princess had been mentioned on every newspaper and every news bulletin over the last few days.

"That's right! One hundred points to the beautiful Serena! Princess Dee is holding a great ball to unveil a treasure of hers. It's going to be a masquerade and everyone who's anyone in Tokyo will be there. Tonight! It's the event of the season!" Melvin popped up with his little black note book.

"MELVIN!" both Serena and Molly yelled angrily, jumping.

Serena watched as Molly told Melvin of for sneaking up on them, thinking sadly that she wished she'd seen Tux at the battle at the shrine.

"Serena? SERENA! Are you awake?"

"Wha? Oh sorry Molly, I just tuned out to your flirting for a second. Are you going to the ball?"

"FLIRTING! OHHHH I DON'T KNOW WHY I BOTHER WITH YOU!" growled Molly, smacking her over the head with her book bag. Serena yelped and ducked, laughing.

"Any way, yes I am going tonight. Mum's apparently a big wig in the jewellery fashion design industry. She got a plus one invite, and since she and Dad are long over I get to go. It's going to be hella fun! Are you?" said Molly, abruptly switching out of 'abuse Serena' mode.

"Well I don't have an invitation, but I might gatecrash." Said Serena mildly.

"Serena! The palace will be guarded!" Molly cried, aghast.

"So? I can be quiet when I want to." Grumbled Serena.

"Serena you're a klutz, you'd never be able to do it!"

"I'll prove it then." Said Serena with a smirk, "I'll meet you in there."

"Sure, sure. Well, putting the fact that Serena will not be attending, I can't wait till Dee shows us the Imperial Crystal!" exclaimed Molly.

Serena felt her world drop away for a second.

"Pardon?" she asked with a gasp. _Not possible._ The Imperial Silver Crystal had been shattered at the end of the Millennium. It was in seven little pieces and who knows where. Unless it had been reconstructed in the last thousand years by someone else. But surely she would have heard about it, or even felt it?

"The Imperial crystal! It's supposed to have magical powers!" gushed Molly, not noticing her friend's pale face. Serena took a deep breath and tried to slow her rushing heart.

As it happened, Molly and Serena weren't the only two who were planning to go to the ball that night. Amy and Raye had heard about the ball and the crystal and had decided to go and investigate and were currently devising a plan to infiltrate the building.

* * *

That afternoon Serena sat at the dining room table and tried very hard to concentrate on her homework. But her thoughts kept running away from her. She thought of Tuxedo Mask and how she would tell him, before wondering if she should tell the scouts that she was Serenity, or even Serena. Then she wondered what they'd say. Without realising it she started to frown deeply.

"Trouble with your homework, dear?" her mother's voice interrupted her.

Serena glanced up, surprised. Her mother hadn't really been talking to her as of late, since her abysmal marks had begun to get worse. Every time she had spoken to Serena in the last week it had been about her school work.

Serena glanced down at the half completed page. "No." She sighed and started to work at the sums again without saying anything else. She had found that monosyllabic answers tended to get her in less trouble.

Her mother watched her for a minute, frowning herself, noting the straight posture and the lost weight. She had had the vague impression over the last few weeks that Serena had been trying hard to please her and Kenji. Now she felt a burst of guilt. The child looked like she didn't sleep or eat. All the roundness had gone from her cheeks, and her arms were unaccountably thin. Not to mention that whenever she spoke now there was a new tone in her voice: quiet and confident. That was not the Serena from before. The old Serena had railed at life's injustices, and would have screamed and complained about her marks, telling her mother it wasn't her fault. This Serena merely accepted the fact that she needed to work harder then went ahead and did. Ikuko felt a pang of sadness. Somehow, in the last few weeks, Serena had grown up. And she had missed it.

* * *

That night Serena watched from the top of a nearby building with a smile as the guests arrived. A crystal, a ball, a princess. So cliché. But she had to have a look at the crystal, just in case. She glanced down at Luna.

"You told me not to bother with a dress. So how am I meant to fit in?"

The cat leapt into the air, flipped, and a speck of light from her crescent moon turned into a pen. Serena stuck out a hand and plucked it out of mid air.

"What's this?" she asked the cat, who purred smugly.

"That's your ticket in. It's a disguise pen."

"And...?"

"Just say what you want to turn into, and it'll do it."

Sailor Moon thought for a second then glanced down at all the arriving party guests in all their splendour.

"I'd better get in before getting decked out." She murmured, before picking up the cat and leaping easily across the street and landing quietly inside the embassy gardens. She placed the grumbling cat on the ground before casting a thoughtful look down at the pen.

She thought of turning herself into her old princess self, but then thought of the dresses that she had seen the other ladies attending wearing. Her old princess dresses were just as beautiful, but somehow she didn't feel like those sought of dresses suited her anymore. She wasn't the same girl that had been princess. She was a different person now. So she lifted up the pen and murmured something Luna didn't hear, even with her excellent hearing.

A thousand tiny shimmering lights surrounded Serena, swirling gently around her. Luna blinked and stepped back. When the lights were gone it took the cat a second to comprehend the fact that it was still Serena who stood before her. Yet she was completely different.

The ball and ponytail hairstyle was gone, and in its place her golden hair had been parted on the left side of her scalp in a straight line, and then gathered smoothly into a small sparkling clip at the back of her head, from where it tumbled in a mass of curls. Her fringe had been parted as well, and pushed to the side to leave most of her forehead bare. The rest of her hair had been curled into not-quite ringlets that sat around her shoulders in a glorious gold fountain.

Her dress was something Luna had not expected either. Knowing teenage girls as she now did, Luna had expected Serena to go for a brightly coloured dress with lots of sparkles. Instead she got a breathtaking gown the colour of charcoal. Somehow, though, the colour didn't seem as sombre as it appeared. It was strapless, and the bodice was tight but slightly ruched to just below her hips. From there the silky fabric that Luna was fairly sure was silk, fell in several layers into a beautiful full skirt that completely covered her feet. The top layer had several gathers pulling the fabric into an exquisitely ruffled affair. Each ruffle had a small amount of diamond beads dripping from it, adding a sparkling effect to the skirt. The bodice had diamonds sewn into it too, from the top they dripped down the front of the dress to just under her breasts in a sparkling and vaguely lacy v shaped embellishment.

She wore a silver and diamond choker, not too sparkly but still very pretty, long diamond drop earrings and there was a cuff of diamonds at her wrist. Her feet, although they couldn't be seen were wearing black stiletto heels with several strands of diamantes wrapped and hanging around her feet. Her makeup was simple, no lipstick, but her eyes had been given a very dark smoky look that added to the mysterious air of the mask. She also wore a pair of gloves the same colour as her dress that came to just above her elbows. They were embellished at the top with diamonds as well, sewn in a lacy pattern around the glove.

Since it was a masquerade, she had also added a mask of the same colour and fabric of the dress. It was an eye mask, covering her face from her eyebrows to her cheekbones. The eye holes had a slight upturn at the outside edge and the outside edges of the mask itself turned up elegantly as well. Along the outside edge the It was decorated with fine black lace, only visible when one was close. Along the top of one edge with several diamonds sewn in a scatter that highlighted the shape of the mask. At the very centre of the top of the mask there was a small silver embroidered crescent moon.

"Well?" Asked Serena when Luna didn't say anything "Is it too much?"

Luna found her voice at last, "No, no it's beautiful. I'm surprised you have such good taste."

"Aw shucks, I'm flattered." Said Serena mildly, "Ok then, are you coming?"

"I'll keep an eye on Raye and Amy. There's only one pen, so who knows what they will do."

Serena shrugged, "I'm off. I doubt anything will come of this. Though since the crystal has been so widely advertised I wouldn't be surprised if Tuxedo Mask and the Negaverse showed up for a look."

Luna looked at her strangely. "What do you know about the crystal?"

Serena almost told the cat everything then. But the look on the feline's face stopped her. Luna continued to treat her with mistrust, even though she had proven how capable she was. It probably wasn't very nice of her to keep her true identity from the animal, but hey, she was irritated with Luna's holier-than-thou attitude.

"That it contains all the power of the Lunarian line. That it was split into seven parts when Selenity beat the Shadow Warriors and the Negaverse. That a warrior was trapped inside each part. That we will need the princess to wield it, not to mention reform it. That's why I doubt it's here. It's had a thousand years to slowly recharge. Like the Negaverse it must only be reaching its old power level now. That's my theory, anyway." She rattled off.

Luna found herself grudgingly acknowledging the wisdom of the theory, "It makes sense. The two were of equal power back then. It would take about the same amount of time for the crystal to recharge as for the Negaverse to recover from its severest setback in hundreds of years."

"The only question I have is why we were all reborn together, now?" grumbled Serena, "Is it fate, or did Selenity do it deliberately because she knew that the Negaverse would be back about this time?"

Luna couldn't answer that question, so she shrugged, "We can discuss this later. I'm off to see the others."

"Have fun. I'll talk to you later, kitty cat."

"Don't call me that!"

Luna watched the girl glide quietly away through the still garden, her tail twitching in annoyance. She still hadn't come close to fathoming the mystery that was Serena, and it irritated her no end.

* * *

Serena strode purposefully through the two huge glass doors that led to the entrance hall. Inside the noise of many people crowding around was loud after the still gardens, and the heat was surprising. She joined the throng moving slowly up the grand staircase to the second floor before wandering slowly through the crowd in the huge ballroom, not noticing the many appreciative looks she was getting, looking for a familiar figure.

She saw Molly after a few minutes and headed towards her. Molly wore a deep green strapless gown with a bodice that sat just above her hips before exploding into a chiffon full length skirt. There was a thin belt of ribbon at the bottom of the bodice with a bow tied at the front of one hip. She wore elbow length gloves the same colour as her dress and a lovely emerald necklace Serena was sure came from her mother's shop. Her red hair was piled atop her head, with several strands left to fall around her face. Her mask was the same shape as Serena's, and the same colour as her dress.

She looked beautiful, Serena thought appreciatively.

She also looked very, very bored.

"You look rather bored, m'dear." Serena drawled, coming to stand beside her, "Surely it is a trick of the light, yes? With so many hot guys in suits and pretty dresses to look at you can't be bored!"

Molly started and stared at her for a long second before saying hesitantly, "Serena?"

"Indeed." Said Serena, still in the snooty drawl, "Who else, m'dear, who else?"

Molly giggled, "Your voice is hilarious! How did you get in?"

"Oh, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy." Said Serena dropping the accent.

"Yeah right. Seriously though?"

"Don't ask and I won't lie. Don't tell anyone who I am, will you? Dad's here somewhere. He'd skin me alive if he knew I gatecrashed. He thinks I'm staying with Amy tonight."

"I won't tell anyone your name. Just be sure to be out of here before midnight, Cinderella. That's when the masks come off."

"I'll be long gone by then I hope. Love your dress, by the way. Gorgeous. Goes so well with your hair. Which I love, also by the way."

Molly touched her hair, blushing, "You think? Mum wanted me to wear pink."

Serena shuddered theatrically, "For someone so good at accessorising your mother knows nothing about colours."

"I love what you're wearing. It's gorgeous! And you look so mysterious!"

"What are you on about? I'm only wearing a mask! And I'm not the only one!" she gestured to the whole room of masks.

"Yeah but you seem to have an extra air about you."

Serena shrugged and Molly suppressed an envious sigh. How her friend could make even a simple shrug look elegant was beyond her.

Music started and they glanced around. Couples were moving to the dance floor in the centre of the large ballroom.

"Its times like these I'm glad you made me go to dancing lessons with you." Serena commented to Molly, watching as the waltz began.

Molly shrugged, "Does us no good if we're not dancing." She muttered and Serena had to agree. She had nothing better to do until Dee showed off the crystal, so why not have some fun if she could?

Darien watched the dark figure across the room. Something about her seemed to make his heart beat faster. He was sure he knew her. Somehow she reminded him of the girl in his dreams, Serenity. How he wasn't sure, but he was positive she was part of his memories.

He had to talk to her.

Molly leaned close to Serena and muttered under her breath, "There's a man coming this way. Super hot and he hasn't taken his eyes of you for the last ten minutes. He looks like that Tuxedo Mask guy I told you about."

Serena felt a thrill down her back. She had been sure he would be here.

"Excuse me ladies," came a smooth voice at her shoulder and she turned. It was indeed Tuxedo Mask, minus his cape and hat and wearing a very smart set of tails.

_Damn Endy, you're hot. _She thought, smiling at him.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"May I have the honour of a dance?" he held out his hand to her.

He hadn't changed, she reflected, still as dashing as ever. He still made her heart flutter.

"I would be honoured, kind sir." She said with a graceful curtsey, "But I have a condition that must be met before we can dance."

"Oh?" he asked lightly, "A condition?"

"Indeed. My friend here, as you can see, is partnerless. If you can find her a dance partner by the start of the next piece I will be much obliged." She challenged cheerfully.

He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. Beside her Molly was blushing furiously and trying to not look pleased.

"Of course! Such a lovely lady should not be left alone even for a moment!" he bowed slightly to Molly as he paid her the compliment and Serena watched in amusement as Molly went even redder and bobbed a curtsey.

"You're too kind." Murmured her friend.

Tux turned and snagged the arm of a man passing by, "Excuse me, sir. Would you be so kind as to help a fellow out?"

The young man dashingly dressed in a sky blue waist coat and black tail suit paused and raised an eyebrow over his mask.

"How might I be of assistance?" he asked, looking from the man to the two young women with him and pausing at the sight of Molly.

Serena eyed him. That messy hair... but no glasses? She looked closely. Yes... she was fairly sure... behind that mask...

"This young lady will only dance with me if I can find her friend a partner for the next dance as well. Would you oblige me?"

Melvin had not realised Molly would be here. And now he looked he was fairly sure that the woman in the dark dress was Serena. He smiled, thankful that he had decided to wear contacts for once.

"I would be honoured to dance with Miss Osaka, if she will have me?" He said smoothly.

Molly started, not having recognised him, and still unable to place him.

"You're acquainted?" asked Tuxedo Mask, "What a coincidence!"

Serena watched Molly stammer an acceptance to Melvin as Tuxedo Mask led her onto the floor as the current piece finished. She chuckled.

"Something amusing?" asked her partner mildly.

"They suit rather well, I think. Admirable job."

"Why thank you, pretty lady." His blue eyes were glittering with amusement behind his mask and she found herself lost in them for a second, drowning in blue.

They were dancing the waltz. As he spun her carefully around the room and memories of dancing with him in similar settings on the moon flooded her mind Serena wondered how she was going to tell him. She couldn't go on much longer just being an anonymous helper. She wanted, _needed_ to be more to him.

"The reason I asked you to dance was because when I saw you I got the feeling that we have met before. Have we?" He told her, while steering them around a slower dancing couple.

"How can I tell you that when I don't know who you are?" she asked, and he found her voice was exceptionally sweet to him.

He sighed. "I don't suppose you recognise me?"

She laughed, a melodic sound he felt he knew, "I'm sorry. I was teasing you. Yes."

"Yes you've met me or yes you recognise me?"

"Why, both!" she laughed again.

He chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "You don't make it easy on a fellow, do you?"

"Of course not. Where's the fun in that?"

The spun in silence for a minute more. Darien was consumed in thought, wondering who she was and why he felt like she belonged in his arms. For her part Serena was just enjoying the moment.

"I apologise." She said at last, "Yes we have met before. Several times and fairly recently." She didn't want this dance to end. Being in his arms again was like a dream come true.

"Oh?"

"As I recall, the most recent meeting was in the park."

"The park." He racked his brains.

"By the fountain, it was." She hinted.

"The fountain?"

"I spent some time unconscious, as I recall." She pouted prettily, "Stupid General."

She felt one of his hands go cold, even through their gloves, and the other was suddenly stiff against her back.

"Sailor Moon." His voice was low.

"That's me." She said lightly, wondering what he was thinking.

Darien frowned. He knew Sailor Moon wasn't his princess. Her job was to find the princess and protect her and the scouts. But if that was so then why did she feel so damn perfect in his arms? Why was he feeling like this?

He looked down at her. She was smiling nervously at him.

"I know, I know. I'm out of uniform. But I don't live in it, you know."

"So... if I take of your mask, I'd find out who you are..." he whispered.

Her hand tightened in his, "Now, I know you wouldn't do that."

"Oh do you?"

"Yes. You see, you're far too much of a gentleman to do something I don't want you to do." She seemed supremely confident in what she was saying.

"And how do you know me so well?" he asked lightly, but deeply curiously all the same.

"Well, I remember you for one thing." She said as the spun around another couple.

"Oh? And I was a gentleman, was I?"

"You still are."

"You know, I think you could bring me undone." He murmured, pulling her closer. She craned her neck to look up at him, a puzzled frown just visible around her mask.

"I know I'm supposed to love Serenity." He murmured as the dance slowed, "but every time I try to think of her, I end up thinking of you. I know destiny has said that Serenity and I are to be together... and I feel so guilty that I haven't found her yet, but while I'm with you, it doesn't matter." He let out a frustrated sound, "I'm not explaining myself very well."

"It's alright, I think I understand." She took a deep breath, "There's a reason you feel that way-"

She never finished her sentence. The feeling came again, and they both felt it. This time it was terribly strong, and Serena actually staggered. Darien swallowed his own dizziness and helped her out onto a balcony, hoping the fresh air would help.

"Is that..?" he asked weakly.

"A negamonster, yeah. A strong one too." She agreed.

He kept an arm around her and scanned the surroundings. At first he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then he noticed a girl pushing her way through the crowd inside towards them. He recognised her from the press coverage. She was carrying a large box. She was also wearing a crown.

"Princess Dee." he muttered, not liking the headlong way she was plunging through the crowd.

"That can't be good." Murmured Sailor Moon from next to him.

They watched in amazement as the girl joined them on the balcony, and both started when a voice called from the darkness below them to her.

"Throw it to me, Princess!"

Sailor Moon started, "I know that voice!" she gasped.

Dee hefted the box above her head, "I obey!" she cried.

Serena felt a thrill of fear. She darted across the balcony, "Dee, don't!" she cried, grabbing the box, "Wake up! He's tricked you!"

Dee froze for a second, but then let out a feral snarl. Tuxedo Mask darted forwards, but was far too late. Dee swung the heavy box with all her might and caught Sailor Moon on the side of her head. He heard the sickening crunch and felt ill as he watched her stagger against the balcony railing.

There was a scream from inside. Someone had seen Dee's attack.

Dee didn't give him a chance to help Sailor Moon, but swung the box again, this time catching her shoulder and sending her toppling sideways over the railing.

Serena shut her eyes and waited for the impact that would probably kill her. She needn't have bothered. She only fell about a metre before being jerked to a sudden stop. She looked up, and had to blink several times to focus. Tuxedo Mask was hanging over the railing, his hand wrapped around her wrist. He gently pulled her back up, ignoring Dee's screech of rage, and held her tenderly in his arms bridal style.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly from where his face was pressed against her hair.

She winced. Her vision certainly wasn't. "Concussion, I think." She murmured, "I'm out of this one."

Tuxedo Mask looked up in time to see Dee break free of the several people that had tried to restrain her and throw the box to whomever it was waiting in the dark below.

"Go." Murmured the girl in his arms dizzily, "Go get him. Careful though, that's a new General."

"One of mine?" he asked quietly, and she nodded wearily,

"His name is Nephrite. Go on, I'm not going to be of any use."

He carefully set her on the ground, "Don't move around too much and don't go to sleep." He ordered.

She smiled weakly, "Get going already."

He pulled out a rose and leapt over the balcony, to the general astonishment of those watching.

_Below..._

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" yelled Mercury, "GIVE US THAT CRYSTAL, NEPHRITE!"

Beside her Mars was readying her fire, glowering at the General.

Nephrite laughed at them; "Jadeite told me about you!" he called, "Told me about how troublesome you could be!"

Mercury heard Mars suck in a breath, and glanced at her sympathetically.

"Where is Jadeite?" demanded Mars angrily.

"Oh, he's had to take a break since Beryl is not pleased with him."

Raye went white, and bit her lip.

"Mercury ice bubbles BLAST!" yelled Mercury before he could edge away any further. The area filled with white mist.

Mars blinked "Mercury!" she growled, "Now I can't see!"

"Don't worry, I can." Murmured Mercury from next to her,

"And how does that help me?" snarled Mars.

"Just aim where I tell you." Hissed Mercury, "and do it quietly! Straight ahead. Left a little. Up a little. There!"

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

The fire sped through the mist and missed Nephrite entirely.

"Oh my," said a soft voice from behind them, "I see you are underestimating me."

They spun to come face to face with Nephrite. He smiled. "Do not assume that I am on the same level as Jadeite." He sneered, "He is far inferior to I."

There was a blast of something bright white, and both scouts were thrown backwards of their feet, landing painfully on the hard ground.

"Mercury ice bubbles maelstrom!" bellowed Mercury even as she rolled to her feet. She glanced back to see Mars still on her back on the ground, "Get up, Damnit Mars, get up!"

Mars snapped something unintelligible at her but stood all the same.

Mercury dashed forwards in the wake of her freezing attack, and was hoping to get a good sold kick into the partially frozen general, but a burst of fire shot past her and she skidded to a stop as a now completely thawed Nephrite advanced on her.

"Mars!" she yelled angrily, "Fire melts ice you nimwit!"

"Oh, sure, so now it's my fault you can't aim!"

Tuxedo Mask used the distraction to send a hail of razor sharp roses at Nephrite who had to dodge or be impaled.

"Oh, I've heard about you too." He smiled at the man in the tuxedo, "Very annoying, Jadeite said. But where's Sailor Moon? Isn't she going to help? I heard great things about her. Seems to me that compared to these small fry, she might actually be interesting."

Tuxedo Mask growled at him and with a twirl of his cane attacked.

Up on the balcony Serena watched angrily as the two scouts continued to bicker and ignore the battle between the two men. _Some much for team work._

Beside her, Molly and Melvin watched in horror.

She glanced up at them, "We have to get everyone inside. This is gonna get explosive."

She was right, as soon as she finished the sentence there was an explosion as Mars tried to attack Nephrite from close range with her fire and it exploded in her face. A wave of intense heat washed over those watching, and several people let out noises of fear. As the noise died down everyone could hear Mercury berating Mars for her apparent lack of thought.

"Everyone inside!" Melvin called, and the guests obeyed. Serena made as if to join them but at the last instant followed Tux's route over the balcony, calling her Sailor Powers into play so she wouldn't break anything on the landing. She landed easily and her vision went fuzzy and she shook her head angrily, now was _not_ the time to be concussed!

She concentrated for a second on the healing spells she had learnt as a princess, and the dizziness and pain faded away.

Nephrite and Tux were still fighting hand to hand while the scouts made general nuisances of themselves. She could see at a glance that where Jadeite and Tux had been evenly matched, the gulf between Tux's ability and Nephrites was a gaping hole. if Tux had remembered, it wouldnt have been a problem, Endymion was a peerless swordsman. But Tuxedo Mask was only acting on instinct, he still had no reall memories of the Silver Millenium, as far as she knew, let alone ones of his swordsmanship lessons. Tux was steadily being pushed back and it wouldn't be long before he was injured.

She stalked forwards, her gown flowing about her fluidly.

Mars was on the ground, the explosion apparently had been enough to knock her down and keep her there. Mercury was throwing ice attack after ice attack at the general, never mind it wasn't even coming close to hitting him.

"General Nephrite." She said loudly, and all movement stopped.

To Mercury it seemed as if the woman who was now gliding towards them through the mist was made of the mist itself, it swirled around her in a gentle eddy. But that idea was belied when you looked into her eyes. Even behind her mask the blinding rage was visible.

Nephrite turned, "Milady, have we met?"

Tux looked between the two wondering what in heaven's name she was up to.

"A long time ago, yes. A thousand years you have worked for Beryl now. Tell me, did it take that long to recharge her dark crystals?"

Nephrite cocked his head to the side in a familiar gesture, "Why yes, it did. And pray tell me who you are that you know about the crystals?"

She shrugged, moving slowly out into the clearing mist and carefully placing herself between him and her scouts.

"I remember the moon. Mars here is starting to remember, Mercury has remembered everything except the face of Serenity. Do you remember Serenity?"

"Stupid, coward of a woman." He said immediately, and now it was her turn to cock her head on one side,

"No, Nephrite, I didn't ask you what Beryl brainwashing has made you think you remembered, I asked what you actually remember about her."

Nephrite paused, confused. "What are you talking about? Beryl hasn't brainwashed me."

She snorted, "And how would you know? It's not like she'd let you know that she had done that, is it?"

He frowned at her. "Who are you?"

She held out a hand, and the ground at her feet glowed in an intricate pattern that Mercury recognised as a crescent moon, but with several other symbols around it. There was a metallic scraping sound and a glowing staff shot out of the ground and into her waiting hand with astounding speed.

Mercury recognised that long, silver staff. At its head there were two intricately carved wings, between which nestled a crescent moon with its two points curving so tightly that they almost touched. The neck and body of the staff where covered in a gold, copper and silver braid that twisted around and around to the very base of the staff where there was a vicious point.

There was no doubt that it was Sailor Moon's staff. She looked curiously at the woman holding it. The hairstyle was different, of course, but the way she held herself wasn't. It was definitely Sailor Moon under that mask.

"A friend of the Prince you once served. Does the name Endymion ring a bell at all?"

It did. At the sound of that name something churned uncomfortably deep within Nephrite. But he wasn't about to let her know that.

"I wonder what Endymion would say if he knew you had attacked a peaceful gathering. Not to mention the damage you're trying to do to the scouts. What would he think to find you attacking those responsible for keeping his beloved safe, hmmm?"

"I don't know any Endymion." Snapped Nephrite gruffly, "And nor do I care what he thinks. I work for her royal highness, Queen Beryl of Darkness. Not some petty prince."

Serena saw Tuxedo Mask's eyebrow twitch at that and suppressed a smile.

"Ah, but you did work for Endymion once. For and with him. You were blood brothers."

"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about. I've had enough of this chatter! Fight me already!"

Nephrite watched in astonishment as she laughed. The infuriating woman!

"You don't wish to talk about this because deep down a part of you knows it to be true!" she cried before he could attack, and he paused yet again, "I'm glad. That means there is some hope for you and your three brothers. You are not completely lost to us."

He stared at her, astounded, "How did you know there were four of us?" he demanded.

Mercury rolled her eyes, "Haven't you been listening? We are friends of Endymion's. We knew you a thousand years ago, before the end of the Silver Millennium, back when you were on our side."

He sneered at her, "I was never on your side, you deluded-"

"You were." Tuxedo Mask said quietly, but with all the finality of a king. "You, Malachite, Jadeite and Zoisite. You were my brothers. My family."

Mercury and Mars stared at him in astonishment.

"It can't be...?" Mercury murmured, "Prince Endymion?"

"Over the last few days I have been remembering more and more. While I still cannot call Serenity's face to mind, I remember you, Mercury, and Mars." Tuxedo smiled at them, "Or should I say Bookworm and Pyro?"

The old nicknames did the trick, and both Scouts smiled widely at him, "I should have known!" Mercury muttered.

From the bushes nearby Luna too listened in surprise. Sailor Moon had been adamant that he could be trusted. She wondered if the girl had known who he was.

Serena, for her part, had transformed silently while all the attention was on Tuxedo Mask.

She levelled her sceptre at Nephrite, whose torn expression was painful to behold.

"Moon Sceptre... healing?" she tried the made-up-on-the-spot-attack and was surprised when a gentle golden light swirled from the crescent moon on her sceptre and towards Nephrite. He turned, seeing it coming out of the corner of his eye, but was too late to stop it. The light wrapped around him and all the things that they had been saying to him that had sounded so wrong were suddenly making sense, and he was starting to feel better, somehow, lighter. As if a weight had been taken from him...

He thought he heard someone screaming his name in rage, but didn't care, because he was so, so warm...

Sailor Moon heard Beryl's voice call Nephrites name, and upped the amount of energy she was pouring into the sceptre.

A black warp appeared behind Nephrite, darkness itself swirling and eddying as it reached for him. She heard the scouts calling to her to not let him go, but she could feel herself beginning to grow faint from the loss of energy.

The onlookers watched as the darkness and gold clashed. For a second it seemed like the gold would not give up its wrapping hold around Nephrites trembling body, but the darkness couldn't be halted and slowly it pushed the gold back.

Sailor Moon collapsed to her knees but didn't let the stream of power stop.

_Damn it all! If I had the crystal this wouldn't even be a contest! _She snarled mentally, even as the darkness wrapped totally around Nephrite and her last ounce of strength gave out.

She fell forward onto her hands, and watched dispiritedly as Nephrite was first obscured totally from view, and then as the entire eddy of darkness disappeared with a strange hissing sound, taking the general with it.

There was silence for a full minute as Tuxedo Mask and the Scouts processed what had happened.

Then Sailor Moon sighed. "If we had the crystal that would have been easy. We need to start searching for it, and for the time being give up on the other Scouts and the Princess. They'll find us in their own time, anyway. I think the Silver Imperial Crystal takes precedent, considering that with it we could simply call the other scouts to us. Not to mention heal the generals."

"They can be healed?" asked Mars hopefully.

Sailor Moon pushed herself into a kneeling position, "What do you think I was trying to do just then, Mars? Give him a facial? I could have done it too, if I'd had any more power to draw on, instead of just whatever I can take from my own body."

"Is that how all your attacks work?" asked Luna, coming out from underneath a bush and startling Tux.

"Luna!" he said in amazement, "I can't believe I never recognised you before!"

Luna twitched her tail in a friendly manner at him, "Greetings Prince. I can't believe I didn't recognise you before now either." She shot Sailor Moon a suspicious look, "How long, exactly, have you known that he was Endymion?"

"A couple of weeks." Sailor Moon muttered, still too exhausted to expand on that.

"She actually was the one who told me who I was. After that, I began to remember more and more. Where's Artemis, by the way?"

Luna's ears dipped, and Mercury and Moon winced. They had both asked at one time or another about the white cat, and both times had regretted it.

Tuxedo Mask noticed the cat's dejected look and hurriedly added, "You know, I bet he's with Sailor Venus. They were always close. He's probably training her like you are these guys."

"Um, hello?" Sailor Moon interrupted before Luna could reply, "I just made a rather serious suggestion about the SILVER IMPERIAL CRYSTAL and no one has commented."

"I think you're right." Said Luna primly.

"Now, Luna I know you- wait, what? Did you just agree with me?" Sailor Moon asked in astonishment.

Luna bared her teeth in an unsettling cat-grin, "I know it's unusual, Sailor Moon. But I do agree with you. While the Princess is unaware of her origins she is in no danger: it is only when her memories return and her aura becomes stronger that she will become a target for the enemy. We will need to find the crystal so we can be ready to protect her when she does return to us. The same goes for the other scouts."

Sailor Moon wondered suddenly if she should use her old memories of magic lessons to put up wards against the Negaverse around her home.

"Sailor Moon, you didn't answer my question. Do you draw all your power from your own body?"

Sailor Moon sighed, "Yes Luna, I do."

Tuxedo Mask glanced at the two quiet scouts, and then at the cat, and then at Sailor Moon. "Sorry, I'm confused. How is that different to what the others do?"

Mercury spoke up, "Mars and I draw our power from our transformation. I know it sounds strange, but the little wands we use to transform are extremely powerful ancient weapons, and they power our attacks. When the crystal is found, we can use it to upgrade them, and we'll become even stronger. Sailor Moon, I don't understand, didn't you tell me that the sceptre was you transforming tool?"

Sailor Moon looked at the sceptre, "Yeah I did. And it is."

"Then surely you're getting your power from that?" asked Luna, frowning.

"Well... no... Not really. The sceptre isn't an ancient artefact like the Sailor Wands."

"Then where did it come from?"

"Um... I sorta... created it...?" she made it sound like a question.

"What?"

Sailor Moon huffed, not looking at them guiltily. "One of my best friends was in danger, ok? I'd been having dreams about the Sailor Scouts and the Silver Millennium and when I saw her in trouble I knew I had to help, so I created a sceptre, and transformed into Sailor Moon with it."

Tuxedo Mask frowned. He remembered the day he had first met Sailor Moon. It had been at that jewellery store. There had only been three people present, the store owner, the cleaner and the daughter of the owner. Since he was fairly sure she was too young to know the cleaner and the owner that left the daughter as her friend. Perhaps that girl could tell him more about Sailor Moon?

"You used your own energy to create the sceptre?" Mercury asked, aghast.

"That's what I said!" snapped Sailor Moon, finally getting to her feet. Every bone in her body ached.

Luna 'hmmed'. "I think I know why you are always so exhausted then. You're using your own life force to fight these battles."

Sailor Moon understood very well what Luna was getting at, but wasn't about to admit she'd had training in life-force magic on the moon since only a few select people had. That would just be like throwing up a sign saying 'here, I'm Princess Serenity, scold me for not telling you who I was!'

"So what?" she snapped.

Mercury stepped in quickly before Luna could get hissy. "Sailor Moon, you're using you own life energy to fight these battles. That means you're using the energy you need to live, and that's why you're tired when you're not transformed. Life force energy is strong, and it recharges itself, but you need to rest to do that. You haven't been resting much have you?"

Sailor Moon snorted, "None of us have. So what if I don't get enough sleep?"

"That does it." Luna growled, "You will not fight with us for a period of three weeks. Rest. Recover. Then maybe we'll allow you to join us again."

Sailor Moon slowly raised one eyebrow and Tuxedo Mask suddenly wondered where he's seen that look before.

"And how, Luna, are you going to defeat the monsters in the meantime? Do I need to remind you that your two precious original scouts-" she pointed at Mercury and Mars, "would have been Scout Soup if I hadn't been here tonight? They spent the entire fight bickering about whether fire was better than ice!"

Mars looked mutinous, and Mercury ducked her head, ashamed of her behaviour.

"How you expect to beat any monsters, let alone general of Nephrites calibre, and let me make this really clear, Nephrite _is five times as strong_ as Jadeite was, without me around I don't know. I'm sure Prince Endymion will help, but he has not regained his full memories yet, nor his powers. You cannot rely on him totally! "

Tux wondered not for the first time, exactly how she knew the things she did. But he remained silent. This was not an argument he was willing to enter. That cat's claws were _sharp_.

Luna glowered at her. "This is not a discussion. Yes you might be the most powerful scout at the moment, but Mercury is quickly catching up to you. Mars will need more training, and yes I know it was you who trained Mercury, but she can train Mars easily enough. But we cannot afford for you to die because of overusing your powers."

Tux felt a thrill of alarm. She might die? The though filled him with dread. She couldn't die! Not her!

"It's that serious?" he asked the cat. She jumped, having forgotten he was there, apparently.

"Yes, Prince. It is. She has been extremely tired the last few days, and it's been about a month since she had a good night sleep." She glanced at Sailor Moon, "Hasn't it?"

Sailor Moon pouted at them but didn't answer.

"I think Luna's right, Sailor Moon. You need to take some time off."

Sailor Moon looked at him for a second, as if deciding what to say.

Inwardly, she was irritated. Now Endymion was worried. Damn him and his beautiful heart. She didn't want him to worry.

"Fine." She snapped. "I'll skip a few battles."

"Three weeks." Snapped Luna.

"Two."

"THREE!" said cat, scouts and prince together.

"Alright, alright! Geez guys! You'd think you didn't hate me or something. Fine, fine. I'm off. I'll ignore the next three weeks worth of attacks. Actually that's probably a good thing. I can catch up on school. Maybe I won't have to be a dropout."

Tuxedo Mask started and felt a thrill of amazement run through him. He opened his mouth to speak but she was already gone. He stared after her for a second, thinking hard.

"Luna," he said slowly, "the first battle that Sailor Moon ever fought in, the day she first transformed. It was at Osa-P wasn't it? The jewellery shop?"

Luna twitched her tail and thought back over the last few weeks. "Yes, I believe it was. About a month ago now...a bit more perhaps."

Mercury sighed. "So much has happened in such a short amount of time."

Mars rolled her eyes, "I'm going home. This is exhausting."

Luna nodded, "Yes I think that's wise for all of us." She glanced up at Endymion, "I'm glad to see you Endymion. We have Scout meetings every Wednesday at midnight at Cherry Tree Hill Temple if you'd like to join us."

He nodded and they all departed.

* * *

Serena was busy flirting harmlessly with Andrew the next afternoon, and ignoring a certain Darien Shields along the counter when Molly flounced in and spied her.

"Hey Serena! Guess what! Peter Reaves is back in town!"

"What, the skinny dude with the camera?"

Darien recognised the redheaded girl. She was the one from Osa-P. He began to pay attention.

"Yeah! That's him! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what?"

Molly's natural exuberance was catching, and Serena grinned, "What? What? What?"

"He's opening a competition! A bathing suit modelling competition!"

"What's this?" asked Andrew immediately. Darien had noticed he was very good picking out what he called 'interesting' topics from a room full of hubbub. Especially when his 'little sister' Serena was involved. It was comical how much he looked after her.

"It's a competition!" Molly told him, smiling. "I'm going to enter it!"

Molly handed him a flyer. He read it and looked at Serena doubtfully, "Are you thinking of competing, Serena?"

Serena snorted. "Have you seen the size of some of the girls on the flyer? No way can I fill a bikini like that!"

Andrew went red and Molly scolded Serena for being crass. Darien chuckled into his coffee. Typical Serena.

Serena ignored the scolding and sipped her milkshake, "Now, Molly, you can fill out a bikini. You'll probably even win!"

Molly went as red as her hair and crossed her arms over her bust. Andrew dropped his head to the bench and muttered a prayer to save him from shameless girls.

"Serena, just for that, you have to enter with me!" Molly demanded.

Andrew's head came up from the counter. He frowned. Darien found himself paying more attention too.

Serena raised an eyebrow slowly at Molly, "Didn't I just say that I can't fill out a bathing suit? What's the point of me competing?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're pretty enough to win with just your face. Anyway, the only reason you can't fill out anything is because you're so skinny! Andrew, we'll have two double cheeseburgers please! Put them on Serena's tab."

Serena squawked a protest, but was ignored. Darien was still deep in thought, several small incidents going around and around in his mind.

Andrew waited until Molly went to the bathroom before pouncing on Serena and trying to convince her not to compete. He thought that bathing suit competitions were demeaning, and told her so. Darien listened in again, shamelessly interested.

She agreed, but added what Molly wanted her to do, she would. Andrew frowned and asked if that kind of peer pressure was healthy. Serena pulled a face at him.

"Molly's my oldest, best friend." She told him calmly, "I'd do anything for her. Even wear short skirts and bathing suits."

Andrew sighed and gave up. He complained to Darien for the rest of the day about misplaced loyalty among friends.

* * *

Serena, Molly, and as it turned out, Miss Haruna shared a dressing room for the competition. Miss Haruna had a lovely pink tankini. Molly wore a beautiful green string bikini, and Serena sat in the corner and refused to show them what she was wearing until they pounced on her and tore of her shirt to reveal a black one piece halter with a plunging neckline that dipped to her belly button. Serena ran away from them and explained from the underside of the table that it was the only thing that did up tight enough to make it look like she actually had some chest.

Molly made the comment that she was strange, and Miss Haruna agreed. They couldn't understand why a girl would be so worried about showing off her chest when a sliver of her stomach was bared by the neckline, and her legs were bare.

Serena pouted at them. She couldn't very well explain that the Sailor Scout uniform she spent a lot of time in showed off her legs and rear, but not her chest.

They left her alone, and eventually she came out and watched them do their makeup and accessories. She had bought a couple of black and silver bangles with her, and a pair of strappy stilettos, but she was stalling and didn't want to put them on yet.

She sat down to do her hair and makeup. She'd decided to have the hair out, and wavy, and her makeup dark and smoky.

She was just applying lipstick when Luna leapt onto her lap. The lipstick almost went up her nose.

"Damnit Luna!" she hissed, wiping the lipstick of her cheek.

"There's something wrong here! I just saw that boy take a photo and everyone in it turned to light and disappeared inside the camera!" hissed the cat in a whisper.

Serena sighed, "Are you sure that you didn't get flash burn in your retinas?"

Luna dug her claws into bare legs, "Yes!"

"Owie! Ok ok! I believe you. Why are you telling me? I'm on enforced holiday leave, remember?"

"Get out your communicator already!" snapped the cat. Serena glanced up, noticed that Molly and Miss Haruna were deep in discussion over lipstick (coral or dawn?) and opened her watch. She quickly typed in the address and the situation, adding that she was leaving the area and leaving it to them. She sent it and stood to grab her shoes.

"Why did you tell them you're leaving?" asked Luna.

"So they don't think I'm here, of course. I don't want them to know who I am, remember?"

"Serena, are you ready?" asked Miss Haruna, and Serena stood, pulling on a shirt over her suit.

"Wow, can you actually walk in them?" asked Molly, eyeing the stilettos.

Serena grinned. She'd been fighting monsters in stilettos for ages now. She could handle walking down a hall in them. "I'll be fine."

Half way to the shoot area, Serena suddenly remembered something she had 'forgotten' and ducked back to get it.

She transformed in a small supply room and charged back to the shoot area, in time to see Miss Haruna's trembling form disappear into light and then into the camera. The beast holding, no wait, the beast wasn't _holding_ the camera, it _was_ the camera!

Molly was still there, but she seemed to be next. Sailor Moon let out a yell of warning, telling Molly to hide and ran towards her friend.

The monster, surprised by her sudden entrance, didn't react quick enough to stop her hauling Molly to her feet and pulling her stumbling friend behind pile of screens.

"You're safe as long as it can't see you to take a photo of you." Sailor Moon told the girl. Molly nodded in understanding.

_I've got to get Molly out of here. Then I have to get out of here too... I'm not supposed to be fighting anyway. _Sailor Moon thought desperately.

She took Molly's hand, "Stay with me."

Molly nodded. Sailor Moon led them at a sprint across the arena, towards the exit. She knew they wouldn't make it the whole way in time, but there was a half way point... they dived behind a large bush just as they heard the camera 'click'.

"Whew." Muttered Sailor Moon, "right, I'm going to distract it, and you run like hell for the door, right?"

Molly could only nod numbly, eyes wide.

Sailor Moon stepped out from cover. "Hey, Nega-creep! Come get me if you can!" she ran and ducked behind another photography screen even as it turned. Almost immediately she ducked back the way she had come, but moved closer to the monster, "I bet you couldn't even catch a fly!"

Again there was the click sound, but again it missed her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Molly disappearing out the door. _Phew. See if I ever join a comp for her again!_

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" Sailor Mercury's voice echoed and Sailor Moon looked up in time to see the two scouts land across the large room. They'd come in the roof.

"Careful!" she called, "If it takes a photo of you, you're done!"

Sailor Mercury nodded, "Get out of here. We'll deal with it."

Sailor Moon obeyed with uncharacteristic silence, dashing out the door after Molly.

She detransformed in the same closet and went running off to find her friend. They actually ended up running into each other, literally.

**Bump! **

Serena landed on her rear on the carpet, and gripped her head. "Owie!" she yelped.

Molly staggered but kept her feet, "Oh thank god Serena! You're alright!"

"Well, except for the bump on my head, yeah. What's wrong?"

"There's a monster here! Like the one at the shop but worse! We have to get out of here!"

"Eh?"

"Oh, never mind, just come on! It'll take too long to explain!" Molly grabbed her friend's arm and took off down the hall towards the lifts. Serena let herself be pulled along.

They reached the lifts without mishap, but now they both could hear the noises of battle.

"It sounds like its getting closer..." Molly worried, pressing the lift call button.

"What's getting closer?" Serena asked stupidly as they both waited for the lift to slowly climb floors.

"One of those monsters I told you about. Don't worry, though! The Sailor Scouts are there!"

Serena made her eyes go wide, "Really! You saw them? I saw Sailor Mercury the other day!"

Molly grinned despite her stress, "Sailor Moon saved me again!"

There was a crash behind them and they turned to see the monster advancing down the corridor towards them. Apparently, Serena thought sourly, the Sailor Scouts had just managed to drive it away, instead of actually defeating it.

Molly let out a shriek and grabbed Serena, hauling her away from the lifts and down a side corridor. As they ran down the corporate designed hall, Serena glanced over her shoulder in time to see the monster round the corner after them, with Mercury and Mars in hot pursuit.

They found themselves in a large studio, with many mirrors, camera stands and lights scattered around.

"Hide!" Molly told Serena quickly, searching for a spot herself. Serena hurried to hide under a table, pulling the cloth down far enough to provide adequate cover.

There was a crash and Serena heard Molly let out a shriek and realised that her friend hadn't found cover. She rolled out from under the table just as the beast took Molly's picture.

"MOLLY!" she shrieked angrily, and would have called the monster all sorts of nasty names except that Mars and Mercury entered the room at a run.

For a second the scouts stared at her.

"Serena?" Asked Mercury after a beat, "What are you-?"

"LOOK OUT!" Yelled Serena, horrified as the monster turned to them, and smoothly took their photo. Their horrified expressions disappeared along with the rest of them.

"You bastard!" Serena yelled at the monster.

The monster, now confident of victory, turned back to her with a smug look on its vaguely humanoid face.

Serena glowered at it, even as she dived away from its next picture and dashed into the darkness of the studio.

"?" she snarled, ducking behind another table.

She looked around for a way to transform without the beast knowing who she was. _That _would really go down well in the Negaverse.

_What can I do? _She asked herself, creeping along a line of tables, keeping an ear out for the monster. _ I can't transform, and even if I do I'm so drained already I might not be able to do anything. I need to do this as Serena... there's gotta be a way for me to get rid of that damn camera! Maybe I can hack it off? Maybe I can blow it up? No, don't be horror-movie-ish, Serena, that stuff doesn't work in real life! _

It came to her then, with a burst of clarity that had her pausing on the spot.

She didn't need to get rid of the camera at all! All she needed to do was get it to take a photo of itself!

She glanced around at the mirrors with a grin.

A few seconds later, the monster was surprised to see the blond human she had been hunting standing waiting for her in the middle of the studio when she turned around. The girl was glaring at her, and standing with her hands on her hips.

The monster failed to notice the rope the girl was holding in her hand.

"Hey!" called the human, "here I am! The world's leggiest model! Take a photo, ya great ugly hag!"

While the monster didn't know what 'hag' meant, she was fairly sure it wasn't a term of endearment, and therefore let out a snarl of irritation. She raised her camera arm and prepared to take the photo.

_Click_

The instant the monster raised its arm, Serena gave the rope she was holding a severe jerk. A mirror careened towards her from the sidelines and she leapt backwards.

The monster took a perfect shot of itself, and the mirror smashed into tiny pieces. Serena staggered back from the noise, landed on her rear (again) and sat there for a bit, staring at the spot where the monster had been.

"Serena?"

She turned. Mercury, Mars and Molly were back, standing in exactly the same places they had been when the photos had been taken.

Mercury was the one that had spoken. Serena got to her feet, noticing that there were several small gashes on her calf with a painful wince.

"Do I know you?" she asked the Sailor Scout with a frown.

Mercury realised her mistake and bit her lip. Mars covered her team mates error with a question; "What happened to the monster?"

Serena picked her way over the broken mirror, "I made it take a photo of itself."

All three of them stared at her in shock.

"What?" Serena snapped, "It's not like I had a choice. You were all gone wherever you go when a photo is taken of you."

The two scouts looked at each other guiltily, and Molly noticed the blood on her friends leg.

"Serena! You're bleeding! We need to go get that fixed up!"

The two scouts stepped silently back as Molly ushered their friend out the door.

Mars looked at Mercury. "She was only hurt a little."

Mercury frowned, "But who's to say next time it won't be worse?"

* * *

Funnily enough, a certain intern doctor of the name of Shields was on duty in the Emergency Department of Juuban District Hospital, and it was he who removed the glass and stitched Serena's leg up. Their interaction went something like this;

Molly helped Serena sit on the hospital bed while her friend kept a towel on the bleeding wound.

The curtain was pulled back and Darien entered. He stopped and stared. Not only was Molly only wearing a pair of jeans over her bikini (no top, she had been in a hurry), Serena was sitting on the hospital bed with a bleeding leg and wearing a smoking hot black one piece number with an unbuttoned shirt on over the top. She hadn't been able to pull on her jeans, and he could see why. Her leg was wrapped in bloody towels.

Serena's mouth fell open; "You!"

Darien pulled a face at her and came forward, "Hey there, Dropout. What'd ya do? Trip over yourself?"

He pulled a hospital cart towards him and sat down on a stool, "Give us a look." He ordered before Serena could think of a retort.

Serena let him remove the towel from the wound. Molly supplied the information.

"We were attacked by one of those monsters at the modelling competition." She told him.

Serena winced as Darien's normally careful hands started.

"Sorry," he apologised to her, and then looked between the two, "Did the Sailor Scouts take care of it?"

"No." Molly shook her head proudly, "Serena did!"

Darien threw Serena a startled look as he began to clean the wounds. She smirked at him.

"It had a kind of camera that when you had your photo taken, you disappeared. It was like, evil! Anyway, Serena lured it towards her and then really quickly grabbed a mirror. It took a photo of itself and was like, gone! We we're all like, wow, and then we noticed that the mirror had smashed against Serena's leg."

Darien frowned, "Where were the Sailor Scouts then?"

Serena snorted, "Oh, they got caught just like everyone else."

Molly frowned, "No, only Mercury and Mars did. Sailor Moon saved me, and then she disappeared, I don't know what happened to her."

"OW!" Serena yelped as Darien made another startled movement.

"Sorry," he murmured again, "Just keep still..."

"I am keeping still!" the teen retorted, "It's you who keeps stabbing me! I've had enough injuries for one day, please don't add any more!"

"Sorry, sorry." Darien muttered as he started to stitch.

Serena glowered at him, and then turned to Molly, "Seriously though, Mol, I didn't see Sailor Moon at all."

"She was there!"

"Well, ok, but why did she leave?" Serena asked, playing her part as well as she could.

Molly frowned, "You don't think she was hurt, do you?"

Darien answered that without thinking, "No, she's probably just drained."

He glanced up when they two girls went quiet. They were both staring at him. Molly open-mouthed, and Serena with a strange, calculating look.

"I mean," he added hurriedly, "being a scout must be exhausting, right? They fight like every other night, and during the day as well. I bet they get really dead-tired."

Molly nodded, "I guess you're right, maybe it wasn't Sailor Moon's day."

Serena was still looking at him strangely, but she seemed to shake herself when he threw her a curious glance.

"Well, I don't know about Sailor Moon, but I think the other two are useless." She announced. This was her real opinion at the moment. The ball fiasco, and now this? Where was the team work?

"Oh, Mercury's all right." Darien said, wrapping her leg gently, "Mars is a hothead, but she's learning quickly."

Again both girls looked at him strangely, and again he found himself covering his unthinking words, "I hear, anyway. We get a lot of the monster victims through here."

Serena looked around curiously. "Really? Do they all recover?"

Darien nodded, "Yeah, most of them have nothing more than severe exhaustion thanks to the Sailor Scouts. I don't want to know what it'd be like without them around."

"Amen to that." Said Molly fervently.

* * *

Serena had another dream that night...  
_She watched it like a TV show again. She was staring at a room that had once been brilliantly beautiful, probably a marble floored ball room but it was now covered with dust and rubble, broken pieces of stone glinting weirdly. The large wooden doors to her right blew open and she watched as a red skirted figure backed into the room. Sailor Mars was sobbing, the tears running freely down her face. _

_Pursuing her was Jadeite, a sword clasped in his hand. It, like Zoisite's, was covered in blood, but it was flaming with a red flame. _

"_What has she done to you?" sobbed Mars, "Please Jadeite, please! Remember where your true loyalties lie!" _

_The dark suited general didn't answer, just raised his sword. _

_The priestess' eyes glittered angrily suddenly with one of her legendary shifts in temper, "You will not keep me down! No dark power can keep the Sailor Scouts from their destiny. I will find you again!" _

_Her lover swung the sword and_ Serena woke up sobbing.

* * *

**AN: hope you liked it. Please review. This chapter is actually shorter, event-wise, than the original (though in actual length it's about five times as long, and the longest chapter yet...). Strange, huh? **

**The last few pages were written really hurriedly today, so please let me know if there are any glaring mistakes... **

**Also If anyone is interested in an actual picture of the dress Serena wore (since I dont think I did it justice, I'll be posting a picture on my livejournal any minute. Neonstar23 is its name if you're interested.  
**

**Thanks to anon reviewers Linds, Sarah Zitter and Mew Moon for your reviews. I can't reply to you with a PM so I'm writing it guys need to either turn PM on or get an account! (wails) I want to answer your review properly!)  
**

**Next Chapter: Events I cut out of this chapter, and the advent of the Green Scout! Ba ba ba baaaaum! **


	6. Storms and Scouts

**AN: Hey guys this is a LOOOOONG chapter so pace your selves... **

**Now I've said that I'll probably cut it up... lol. **

**Anyway I've replied to some reviews twice I think... my apologies. I forget. ^_^ Wow! 62 reviews! THATS GREAT! I'm really pleased I've made that many. And all nice! Yay! No flames! **

**You guys rock. **

**ANON reviewers, your replies are down the bottom. Let me PM you already! **

**Oh yeah, I forgot to disclaim. So here we go. This disclaimer applies to all chapters**_**. **_

_Roses are red. _

_Violets are blue. _

_Me no own. _

_So you no sue! _

_**(Disclaimer for the disclaimer; I didn't come up with **_**that**_** either).

* * *

**_

_Unlike the others, Sailor Jupiter fought her lover with all her strength, only the tears in her eyes betraying her pain. She punched and kicked, never getting enough time to power up her Sailor Power before she was attacked in turn. Nephrite blocked every punch and kick with terrifying and unusual ease, and in the end she gave up, collapsing to her knees. _

"_I will be born again." She announced and closed her eyes. Nephrite lifted her chin with one hand and kissed her before running her through._

_

* * *

_

Serena woke with a gasp. Jupiter? She hadn't even met Jupiter yet! Why would she be dreaming about her? She sat up and pushed her feet out of bed, sighing as her whole body protested.

"Owie." She muttered, as a couple sore muscles protested her lack of sleep.

It had been two weeks since Luna had told her to stop working with the scouts. And she had for the most part. She kept an eye out, let them know when there was a battle, and watched silently from the sidelines in case she was needed in most cases. It was depressing, to just stand and watch when she was the one supposedly in charge. However, it was good to see the two other scouts just starting to work as a team, albeit slowly. Mars was still being stubborn, and Mercury was too fond of her already to tell her to stop being a cow and work together. Most battles consisted of Mars taking point and Mercury providing backup... which mostly worked. But since Mars was only part way through her training, she was still not the best choice, in Serena's opinion to take point.

Mars knew this, and made up for it by ribbing Sailor Moon as much as possible. Even when the blond scout wasn't present, and Serena was, Mars would cackle something about Sailor Moon and Serena would have to bite her tongue to stop herself telling the Fire Maiden where to get off.

Even without the physically taxing battles, her body had not recovered the strength she had used in her few weeks as a Scout. She was always tired. She had stopped going ice skating because she couldn't handle it anymore, much as it pained her.

She opened her bedroom window, hoping some fresh air would calm her rattled nerves. But the air was thick with an approaching storm. Clouds fathered overhead and far away there was a crack of thunder.

She smiled. No wonder she had dreamt of Jupiter. It was a night that Lita would be proud of.

She felt something strange in the air too, something else. Something powerful and wild. She frowned for a second before smiling.

"What is it?" Luna asked sleepily, opening one eye to find the blond girl smiling widely out the window.

Serena turned to her with a blinding smile, "It's a Jupiter night."

Luna watched as the girl dressed, amazed, "it's the middle of the night! What on earth are you doing?"

Serena, now half out the window, glanced over her shoulder with a wide grin as it started to rain outside, pulling her hood up.

"I'm off to get me a Green Scout!"

And she was gone, leaving Luna to stare open mouthed out the window.

* * *

Lita scowled. She'd just moved to a new town, and gone for a walk to find a grocery store. That's all. And, yeah maybe she'd finished unpacking a bit before midnight and was trying to find a twenty four hour grocery. It wasn't that hard in Tokyo, surely?

Either way her innocent expedition had now turned into a major pain in the ass.

She glared through the rain at the five idgits who had decided to take it upon themselves to relieve her of her grocery money. Five boys for one girl, seriously?

"Really, guys, I'm not giving you this money, and it would probably be better for you if you dropped the whole idea of a night cap and just let me go."

The five boys just laughed at her. That just made her angrier. She clenched her fists.

"Come on then, ya little boys! Show me what ya got!" she snarled.

"Ya know, calling them 'little boys' isn't going to help you any."

Both Lita and the boys turned to find a small figure standing nearby, hooded and still. It was obviously another girl; Lita could see the vague curve of hips and breasts under the jacket.

"Will you need a hand or can I stand back and heckle?" continued the girl, "There _are _five of them."

Lita, deciding to just go with the flow, answered in the same flippant tone the girl had used, "Nah, I'll be fine. You get comfortable. I'll be waiting to hear some good commentary, right?"

She had the vague impression that the other girl was grinning under the hood.

"Now wait just a minute!" cried the leader of the little pack, "I've been standing in the rain waiting for me pay, and now I've got two lasses giving me grief about it! I think we deserve some compensation!"

The figure turned her head towards the boys. "Where did a punkass kid like you learn to use a big word like compensation? Tell me, did someone give you that line? They must have. You like to me like you must have the IQ of a toothbrush."

Lita laughed, "Nice heckling!"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet!"

The boys let out snarls or rage and three went for Lita while the other two went for the stranger. Lita ducked the first punch, coming up under his guard with a savage uppercut that sent him reeling. She turned to meet the second of the three, throwing her arm up to block the punch, and then spinning with a kick to his knee. He went down with a shriek, and she caught the third's right hook squarely in the jaw. She rolled with the punch, letting it skim off her cheek and coming at the third boy with several sharp and quick jabs to his stomach. He doubled over, and she caught his nose in one hand, and broke it with a sharp twist. He yelped and collapsed, just in time for the first one to come back and kick at her. She caught the foot in both hands and spun it sideways, throwing him off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground.

She looked up. The stranger was standing in the same manner, in the same spot she had been a few seconds ago. Except now there were two unconscious boys at her feet.

Lita grinned through wet hair at the girl, "I didn't even hear them fall!"

The stranger laughed, a melodious sound, "Oh, they fell rather hard, really. Poor babies."

Lita stepped over her own pile of unconscious rats and held out her hand, "Lita Kino. Pleased to meet ya."

The girl held out a hand. Lita took it, surprised at how delicate it seemed, "Serena Tsukino. Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

"What the hell-?"

Both girls turned to find several young men standing nearby, staring at the downed boys.

The young dark haired man at the front of the group, apparently a leader, looked between the two girls to the unconscious boys and back again. Lita felt a thrill of worry. These were men, albeit young, but much more of a challenge than these boys.

The figure beside her muttered something like 'figures'.

The gang leader glared at them, "Who did this?"

_Oh, figures. _Lita thought sourly, _he doesn't think two little girls could have done it. All we have to do it bluff our way out-_

"I did." The girl next to her said calmly, and Lita shot her a dumbfounded look.

"What?" snapped the leader.

"Well, they were trying to rob me and my friend here. Come on Hayate, using such babies for your dirty work? Seriously!"

The leader went still and the group behind him shifted restlessly.

"... Serena?" demanded the young man, eyes wide.

The girl threw back her hood to reveal a delicate face, framed by gold hair. Her blue eyes glittered at the man, Hayate.

"Look, Hayate I know you have to do your thing. We've already had that discussion. But do you have to pick on my friends?"

The boy whose nose Lita had broken groaned and sat up. Hayate strode over to him and grabbed him by the collar.

"What did I tell you idiots about Serena Tsukino?" he growled, "What did I tell you?"

The poor fella looked as though he was gonna be sick, Lita noticed with no small amount of amusement.

"... She'sss a n-no g-g-g-go z-zone..." managed the boy through his rapidly swelling face.

Hayate let out an irritated sound and dropped him. He waved a hand at his silent gang, "get them cleaned up. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Lita, Serena and Hayate remained silent while the gang picked up their comrades and left. Then Hayate turned to Serena and shook his head, "Why do you have to pick on my gang? Jin told me about the other day."

Serena blinked in surprise, "What did he say? He was picking on a new student and all I did was give him a shove!"

Hayate laughed, "He didn't mention the shove. What, did he fall on his rear?"

Serena grinned, "Almost."

He sighed and turned to Lita, "Hi. Sorry about that. I'm Hayate Morioka, pleased to meet you, Miss...?"

"Lita." Lita laughed, "Lita Kino. And don't bother with the Miss. Lita is fine."

"Well then, Lita, how did you meet our short friend here?"

Serena let out an indignant squeak, "Hey! I've grown in the last few months!"

He shot her a teasing grin, and Lita started to see that for all rough exterior the guy was one on the nice ones, "Everywhere except outwards perhaps. You're still flat as a cheese board."

Serena went red and threw a punch at him. Lita stepped back, laughing in amusement as the two play-scuffled. Finally, Serena went down gently onto the wet ground with an 'oof', helped by Hayate, and Hayate himself turned back to Lita, "So, how did you meet?"

Lita shrugged, "She heckled when your five boys were asking for my wallet. Then she took two of them out for me."

His eyes went wide, "Serena, you've only just met her?"

Serena, still on the ground, sulking, looked up, "Well, yeah."

He looked angry now, "And how do you know she's not from a rival gang?"

Lita opened her mouth to protest, then realised it wouldn't do any good. She sank into a battle ready crouch. If this was going to get ugly, she was ready for it.

"Oh, piffle." Came the blonds voice, "You know I have a bit of a sixth sense about these things, Hayate. She's a good one. She was probably just looking for a grocery or something."

Lita stared at the girl. How the hell...?

Hayate looked from Serena to her, and back again before sighing ruefully.

"I guess I can trust that." He said and turned to Lita, "Sorry. If Serena says you're fine, then I believe her."

"Well, I have been wrong before." Piped up the blond, "When I met you Hayate. There I was thinking you were a nice guy... Hey!"

Hayate had pounced on her and was tickling her, Lita watched in amazement. These two people were so different, and yet they were so friendly. She could see even from Serena's clothes that she didn't belong in this part of town, while Hayate was as ratty as they came.

Eventually, the tickling stopped and Hayate stepped over the now sodden Serena to Lita again, "Sorry again. We're always like this when we're together. She's like my little sister."

Lita nodded, "I can see that." She commented, even as Serena protested the 'little' comment ("We're the same age!").

"How did you two meet?" she asked.

Hayate pulled a face, "We were both in a car that crashed, and one of our old friends was driving. I hadn't ever talked to Serena before that day, but I pulled her out of the wreckage."

"Never mind the fact that I had a broken neck and moving me was the worst thing to do." Serena commented as she got to her feet and wiped her hands on her jeans.

"Oh, yeah, and I should have left you in a burning car."

Serena smiled gently at him, "I was joking. You saved my life."

"You paid me back in kind."

They smiled at each other and Lita wondered what the story was. She didn't ask. She didn't know them well enough to pry.

"Well can you tell me if there is a twenty-four hour grocery or supermarket around?" she asked at last.

"Sure there is. I'll take you there." Serena offered.

"I'll come." Hayate told them, "then you are both leaving the patch. Geez, Serena, you cause nothing but trouble."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

* * *

The next day at school Amy recognised Sailor Jupiter the instant she walked into the class to be introduced. Standing tall and proud but with a heartbreaking vulnerability in her eyes that had never been present in the Millennium, Lita Kino was introduced to the class by a visibly nervous Miss Haruna.

Melvin informed Molly and Amy (Serena was late) that Lita had been thrown out of three schools in the last year for fighting. Amy worried about that. Hopefully this version of Lita wouldn't be quite as aggressive as she sounded. She felt a stab of fear about what would happen when Sailor Jupiter met Nephrite, and sent a thankful prayer to whoever was listening that she hadn't had to deal with Zoisite yet.

At morning break time Lita was up and out of the classroom before Amy could tidy up her books. Amy grabbed her lunch and went after her, hoping to see her in the cafeteria. When she got to the large eating room she found out from Melvin that 'the new girl' had come in and sat down, but all those sitting at the same table had left it, so she had got up and left again.

Amy went back out to the school yard and wondered where Lita could have gone.

"Hey Amy!"

Amy turned to find Serena standing next to her, "Oh, hi Serena,"

Serena pouted at her, "Gee, don't sound excited or anything. It's just me."

"Sorry, I was just looking for the new girl."

"New girl? What new girl?" Serena punctuated her speech with a yawn. Amy rolled her eyes.

"If you had been here this morning you would have met her. Her name's Lita Kino."

Serena snapped her jaw shut mid-yawn, looking startled, "Lita? Seriously? She's here?"

"You know her?"

Serena was grinning, "Yeah. She's not in the caf?"

"No... I was going looking for her."

"Well, come on or there won't be any break time left!"

* * *

Lita threw herself down to sit with her back against the railing on the roof. She glowered down at the large lunchbox in her hand. She really didn't feel like eating. She never did when she was sad or stressed. Everyone had been so cold, she actually felt a little sick. As if first day jitters weren't bad enough, she was exhausted from the night before as well. She's only got home in time for an hour's worth of sleep.

She pulled out her mobile, a small silver model with a frog charm. She thought about Serena. The girl had given her her number the night before, and she was tempted to use it.

"Maybe I'll message Serena. She's probably at school herself, but at least I can talk to someone. Kind of. " She muttered.

"Nah, save your money. You can talk to me here."

Lita started as a lithe figure dropped herself down next to Lita, jostling her elbow.

Serena laughed at her expression and opened her little pink lunchbox.

Amy sat down on Lita's other side with a confidence she wouldn't have had before meeting Serena and held out her hand to shake.

"Hi. My name's Amy. Pleased to meet you, Lita. You already know Serena?"

Lita shook before glancing from one to the other, starting to smile. "Yeah, we met last night."

Amy looked at Serena, "What were you doing last night?"

Serena pulled a face, "Getting my arse handed to me by Hayate."

Amy's eyes went wide, "Language, Serena! Wait, Hayate, the school boss Hayate? I know you said you knew him but..."

Serena waved her concern aside, "He's an old friend. He tickled the living daylights out of me."

Amy frowned, "Well I noticed he was skipping again today. Is that your fault?"

Lita looked up from her suddenly attractive food, "Wait, Hayate goes here too?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah, the ass skipped today. No fair. We didn't get much sleep either!"

Lita watched as Amy started to scold the blond girl for her lack of sleep, and was bewildered when Amy scolded her as well, going on about how healthy people had a good night's sleep and plenty of rest blah blah blah ... it wasn't until lunchtime and two new members joined them on the rooftop (named Molly and Melvin) and chatted as easily with her as Serena and Amy that she realised with a burst of amazed joy that she had been accepted as part of the friendship group without so much as a hiccup.

She ate everything in her lunchbox that day.

* * *

That afternoon Serena, Amy and Molly took Lita to a place called Cherry Tree Hill. They entered the shrine grounds and Lita looked around appreciatively. The cherry blossoms weren't in bloom, it wasn't spring yet, just a cool autumn, but the place was still beautiful. The girls introduced her to a girl named Raye. Raye, she found out quickly was an astute person, and realised quickly that there was more to how Serena and Lita met than either had previously mentioned. So, she demanded a demonstration. Serena offered to beat her up. Raye refused. So Lita and Serena had a little bout in front of the girls. Lita won, but she was fairly sure Serena hadn't been taking it seriously.

From there talk turned to parents. Serena complained about how fixated her mother was on her marks. Amy told them about the accident that had killed her father. Lita was horrified to learn that the blunette had sat with her bleeding father while he died, waiting for an ambulance.

Raye told them about her father, who had sent her to live with her maternal grandfather because he didn't want her. That she resented it was obvious. But Serena pointed out she would never have met Amy and Molly if she hadn't come to Tokyo, and Raye cheered up. Lita asked why Serena wasn't in that list and both Serena and Raye replied in perfect unison; "She's not my friend!"

They were lying. Lita could see the care they had for each other. Little things, like Serena making room for Raye to sit down, or Raye getting Serena's favourite coke variety 'because it was cheap at the shop last week'. More and more Lita came to realise how tightly the group relied on Serena. Molly asked her opinion incessantly. Raye argued with her to take her mind of more serious matters. Amy needed someone who could draw her out of her shell.

She told them about her own parents. How they hadn't been able to handle it when she took up martial arts, and when she had been attacked at school and had fought back, she had been expelled. Her parents hadn't understood. They had tried for a little while, but in the end Lita moved out on her own. She liked it better that way, she assured them, and went on to explain about her dream to be a restaurateur. They exclaimed that this was a very good idea, and demanded she make something yummy for them to eat next weekend. She laughed and agreed.

Then they got down to homework. Apparently the little study group had formed when Amy decided that both Serena and Raye needed help, and the two had agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

Lita sat at the table with them and did her English. She had spent a short time in America when her father had been transferred there, so she found it easy. Raye, whose family had always been very traditional, found it hard. So she helped her new friend, and found that the little study session was as much fun in a strange way as a gossip session.

* * *

Over the next few days her new friends proceeded to show her the sights of Juuban, and then the wider Tokyo area. They went to the arcade, where Serena flirted outrageously with a seriously hot guy behind the counter. They went to the Tokyo Tower. They headed to all sorts of amusement parks, and then, on Friday, Molly, Raye and Amy insisted on going to the rink when Lita mentioned that she skated.

Once there, Molly, Amy and Raye headed out onto the ice as soon as they were in their skating clothes, but Serena held back. Lita, puzzled since both Molly and Amy had told her separately that she was an amazing skater, asked her what was wrong. Serena pulled herself out of a daze and replied cheerfully that everything was fine.

She was lying. Lita could tell, but she didn't feel that she was close enough to the blond yet to push her about whatever it was.

Serena finished tying her laces and was waiting for Lita when Daisuke skated up, panting.

"Oh thank God you're here Serena!" he cried, and she blinked at him. Beside her Lita looked up too.

"I need your help. We've got a pair demonstration on that Charles and Alice were supposed to perform their routine, but they've been in a car crash!"

Serena gasped, Charles and Alice where old friends, "Oh no! Are they ok?"

"They will be, but we've got no one to do the demo! Can you help? Please, babe! The sponsors want a demonstration of what we do here and I know you know it, you've done it with Charles when Alice was pregnant, right?"

Serena paused, "Well, yeah... but that was a long time ago..."

Daisuke went down on his knees, "I'm begging you! Please! You're our best female skater and without this sponsorship deal I'm gonna have to lose one of the kiddie coaches!"

Serena knew both kiddie coaches were single mums and needed the jobs. On top of that, she really liked them and they were good at their jobs. She sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it. How long have I got?"

"Thirty minutes before they're here. Thank you so much! I owe you!"

"You really do! A new leotard, that's what I want! The silver one from the shop with the large price tag!"

He blanched, but nodded, "Alright... alright..."

"Hey, wait, who am I gonna skate with if Charles isn't here?"

He beamed, "Oh, Darien agreed to help out too."

Serena's heart plummeted. Molly, Raye and Amy had arrived in time to hear the last part of the conversation looked at her commiseratingly but with a great deal of amusement.

"Who's Darien?" asked Lita, interested now because of Serena's obvious reluctance.

Daisuke smiled at her, "Only the best damn male skater I've ever seen."

Serena pulled a disgusted face, "And the biggest narcissistic pig _I've_ ever seen."

Lita really couldn't help it. She chuckled along with Molly and Amy.

Serena glowered at them, "I'm going to warm up. Stop laughing!"

She stretched for a couple of minutes before stepping out onto the ice and starting with a couple simple laps to warm herself up. Then she slowly weaved up and down the rink. It was mostly empty, though Lita, Amy and Molly were skating down one end, keeping their distance.

She started to practice a few of her tricks, a couple jumps culminating in the hardest jump to land, the axel. But she was a princess, and she was Sailor Moon, and she had been staking for ten years... and she landed it perfectly.

"Nice, as always." Darien spoke from where he was weaving small circles and spins himself. She hadn't noticed him, and glanced up in some surprise at the compliment.

"Come on," he said with a sigh, "May as well get some practice in before the sponsors get here. You've done the routine before?"

"Not for a while," she returned as she stopped next to him, "You?" if he was going to be all business, she could too.

"I did a small show last month so I'm not too bad. Start in the centre? Back to back and spin-duck?"

She nodded, "Let's get to it then."

Inwardly she was shrieking _I don't want him to even touch me, let alone lift me! Argh! This is so awkward! _

She wasn't even entirely sure why she felt that way. After all, she'd had to pair skate with lecherous retards on more than one occasion. Darien might be a bit of a prick, and a narcissist to boot, but it wasn't like he was a lecher. Still, somehow, he always put her on edge and the idea of him touching and lifting her as he was going to do with this routine was at once mortifying and strangely pleasing.

Darien had long since decided that he and Serena had gotten off on the wrong foot, and was pleased to have a chance to work with her on the ice. Since that first day he hadn't been able to come to the rink without looking for her, and the idea of pair skating with her was a pleasing one.

Molly, Amy, Raye and Lita watched as the two tried a couple of lifts and spins before stopping, chatting about something, and trying again. Lita could see even at the slow pace they were going they were working well together.

"I don't get it." she told Molly, "What's the fuss about? They're getting on fine."

Molly shrugged, "They're both stubborn is all. I think she really likes him quite a bit. I don't know about him."

"I know he thinks she's hot, if that helps." Daisuke said from behind them, grinning when they squeaked in surprise at him. He sat down next to Lita, "I think he really respects her as a skater too, don't know about the real world."

Amy grinned, "The way they fight they could almost be a married couple."

"Not to mention she's severely attracted to him." Raye put in, "And who can blame her? The guy is hot!"

"Why don't you go for him then?" Asked Molly with a grin, and Raye pulled a face.

"I prefer guys with lighter hair." She sniffed. Something about that made Amy chuckle darkly.

But Daisuke's comment got Lita thinking. Serena seemed to fit in effortlessly in whatever 'world' she was in; be it back alleys of Tokyo, school, the arcade or here. How was that possible? The mysteries surrounding the blond grew deeper by the minute!

"Uhoh. They're here." Daisuke muttered and stood to greet his guests. Lita looked them over. Men and women in suits, with extremely severe looking faces. She winced. _Good luck Serena!_

Within a minute the ice was empty except for Serena and Darien. The girls watched with baited breath as they took their positions in the centre of the rink, back to back and with their feet spread apart at shoulder width.

The music started, not a piece Lita recognised, but it was slow and gentle.

Darien threw up his hands in an elaborate gesture and went down on one knee, and held his position as Serena twirled around him in a neat circle, spinning from one foot to the other with her arms held out from her body in a rigid circle in front of her. Then she span away, crossing her arms over her chest and setting her hands on her hips as she weaved away down the rink.

The music changed abruptly as Darien took her hands from behind her and they both started to skate quicker, and in perfect unison kicked out one leg, crossed it over the other before bringing it back down and seamlessly doing the same on the other leg and leaning slightly as they turned down the end of the rink.

Serena's heart was beating extremely fast. She wasn't sure if it was because she was apprehensive about the routine, or because Darien was holding her hands gently but firmly.

Then Darien spun them so they were skating backwards before lifting his arms and pulling Serena's arms upwards so she spun out and faced him, uncrossing her arms. As they skated up one side of the rink, he let go of one of her hands and they skated with their left legs crossed over their right, but keeping their skates lined up. They swayed gently down the rink, arms held out in grand gestures and heads held high. _Perfect balance,_ Lita thought, _very nice... _

She heard someone mutter, "Here comes the first lift..."

Darien skated behind Serena now, and they picked up speed, holding their clasped hands out at their sides, until on some unseen cue, Darien dropped their right clasped hands to Serena's waist, they spun once, and Darien launched Serena into the air, making it look effortless. Lita caught her breath as her friend's lithe body spun once, twice, three times in mid air before she came down into a perfect landing on one foot, throwing out the other to spin herself.

They skated next to each other next, there were several synchronised and elegant moves Lita didn't know. It was beautiful to watch though. They were in perfect unison even when they weren't holding each other. They threw themselves into a perfect triple loop jump each, spinning three times in the air before landing and taking each other's hands again. Darien skated behind Serena again, and Lita didn't see what they did, but suddenly Serena spun up in front of Darien and into the air above his head. She realised they were doing a lift and gasped. Darien was holding his hands high above his head, his arms locked. Serena's hands were clasped in his, and she was doing the splits in mid air above his head. Lita heard Molly gasp as Darien slowly spun, holding her up all the while, and then cry out as Serena suddenly bent forwards and flung out her arms and legs. At first she thought something was wrong and panicked but they had just been changing positions, and now Darien had one hand palm up against Serena's stomach, holding all of her weight on one arm. His other arm he held out, palm up as if to say 'isn't this easy?'. Serena, above him, held one arm up in a graceful curve and the other out at her side. Her legs she held curved, one foot almost above her head, and the other was held down to keep her balance as Darien spun.

The crowd cheered even as Darien sung her down to land her gracefully on the ice. They moved into separate but synchronised movements again, and this time Lita recognized some of the moves, there was the Bauer, skating in a single line with their blades parallel with their toes pointing opposite directions. There was the Arabesque move, extending the leg behind the body in a straight line. There was the catch-foot-camel, their free legs being held in the air by a hand while the body was horizontal to the ice and the free leg curved up. She watched in delight as they both did a seamless Charlotte Spiral (bending the body down against the skating leg, holding the arms against the body and spinning with the free leg straight up in the air, and clapped with everyone else when that finished.

The music became quicker and they threw themselves into first a camel spin, and then a perfect Biellman spin each before doing a pair spin where they span together with their spare leg our horizontal to the ice, while their skating legs were wrapped around each other. Because of the awkward position, they had to hold each other close and Lita grinned to see Serena's right side pressed against Darien's right as they spun facing opposite directions before splitting again and performing the last spin of the piece, a layback spin. Darien's was beautiful, it really was, but Lita felt sure that all eyes were on Serena as she performed it.

Darien watched from the corner of his eye even as he spun himself. He never got tired of seeing her do this...

Her back was gracefully arched and her head dropped back as far as she could lower it, creating a graceful curve with her body. Her free leg was bent up and behind her, while her arms stretched into an elegant arc over her body. Her hair was out, and wound around her in an exotic wave. She heard several sighs around her and grinned, shooting a glance at the sponsors. They were watching, open-mouthed.

The last few bars of the music were frenzied and the two skaters spun extremely fast, which made it all the more surprising that the music stopped suddenly, and there was ringing silence. The two skaters had stopped as suddenly as the music and were standing completely still, about an arm's length apart and with their arms out and their hands held palm up.

They bowed.

Lita stood up and cheered.

Out on the ice Serena and Darien looked at each other for a long moment as the cheering began. Then Serena grinned at him;

"You aint bad for a doc." She panted.

He laughed at her and took her hand, clasping it gently as they bowed again, "You aint bad for a dropout." He gasped.

They left the rink amid cheering. Serena went straight to the change rooms pausing only to snag an energy drink from the vending machine and sat down. She was exhausted beyond measure. She hadn't even wanted to come here today, even though she missed skating terribly. And that had been hard work, Damnit. Not to mention stressful! And where Darien's hands had been her body burned. She was wise enough to realise she was attracted to him, and felt like a slut. Where was Endymion's one true love? Oh, down at the ice skating rink, enjoying being mauled by an intern... She sighed and took a swig of the drink. It helped a little, and she downed the rest while she got changed. She was exiting the change rooms with her bag on her shoulder a little while later when Daisuke snagged her arm.

"Thanks babe! They signed the deal even before you two had finished! You were brilliant! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

She smiled tiredly at him, "its fine, Dai. No worries."

He frowned at her, "Hey, babe, you just skated the best I've ever seen you do and you're kind of not feeling it the way I thought you would. Are you alright?"

She smiled at him again. "Just tired, Dai. I was up late last night."

He frowned a little, but didn't press her, "So, you're friends and I are going to go have pizza at that arcade you like. You coming? Please tell me you are!"

Serena pulled a face. The last thing she wanted right now was to stay awake. She was going home to bed.

"No, Dai, sorry. Some other time, yeah? I've gotta get home. Sam's been sick lately..."

It wasn't quite a lie, Sam had been sick off and on for months. She had often had to take care of him when both her mother and father had been working.

Dai knew that and accepted it readily, albeit reluctantly. She farewelled him and left the rink after catching up with the girls and receiving their congratulations.

* * *

She was half way home when the energy drink wore off. She had been walking with her head down and concentrating on where she put her feet but when she found her body getting heavier and heavier and her sight dimming at the edges she looked around for somewhere to sit a while, and found a bus stop within a few steps. She lowered herself gratefully down on to it, and put her head in her hands.

This couldn't continue. She couldn't keep fighting and live. It was obvious the strain she had put her body under was taking its toll. Luna was right.

But what else could she do? She couldn't abandon the scouts to their own devices. Nor could she leave Tuxedo Mask in danger. Especially not when she hadn't managed to tell him who she was. Beryl and more especially, Metallia, were growing stronger day by day, and she hadn't even found one of the rainbow crystals yet. She groaned and squeezed the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Serena?"

She looked up. Her brother was standing a few feet away, his school backpack on his back and looking at her curiously.

Sam hadn't even noticed the girl at the bus stop until she groaned, and then the gold hair had been a giveaway. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes with a hint of worry.

"What are you doing," he looked at the bus stop sign, "catching a bus to the gardens?"

"I needed to sit down for a bit, and this was the best place."

He peered at her, "You don't look well."

She chuckled darkly, "I don't think I am."

"Do you need me to carry your bag?" Sam offered. She had often carried his bag for him after glandular fever had left him weak.

She smiled at him, and seeing the worry in his eyes, made herself stand up. "I'm ok. Let's get home for dinner."

He smiled, relieved to see her normal smile, "Sure!"

They had gotten as far as the end of the block when she collapsed, folding down on herself before toppling sideways to the pavement and giving Sam the shock of his life.

He was bending over her and shaking her in terror when Darien came around the corner. The first thing he saw was a small blond boy crying. Then he noticed the figure on the ground and felt his heart skip a beat. In an instant he was kneeling next to Serena, and asking the boy what had happened.

"She just collapsed!" the boy cried, "just fell over!"

Darien checked her pulse at her wrist, and then at her neck. It was strong. He opened one eye. The pupil dilated. Her colour was bad, though. She was basically translucent.

"It's ok, kiddo, I'm a doctor. I think she's just exhausted. Who are you?" he asked the boy, noting the same hair and colour eyes as the girl on the ground.

The boy sniffed, "I'm Sam Tsukino. She's my sister, her name's Serena."

"Yeah, I've met her." he looked down at the girl, frowning. Why would skating cause her to collapse when she was an experienced and fit skater?

"I think we need to get her home, fella." He told the boy gently. "Do you live far away?"

The kid shook his head, "it's about a block."

"Lead the way then." Darien bent and picked up the girl. Just like he had noted in the lifts at the rink, she was extremely light. And probably too skinny... a thought occurred to him...

"Hey, kiddo, does Serena eat a lot?" he asked as they began to walk.

Sammy, now that an adult had charge of the situation was completely calm, and snorted in amusement. "She eats more than me and dad put together! Mum says that she would eat all day if she could."

Darien puzzled over that. She didn't sound like an anorexic or bulimic then...

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Darien noticed several looks being thrown their way by residents of the street and ignored them in favour of taking note of the surroundings. It was certainly the kind of suburb he would have imagined Serena growing up in. Neat lawns and garden beds. Pretty houses that weren't large but not small either. Yep, it suited her in a way. And in a way it was completely wrong for her too. She wasn't a normal teenage girl, he knew that for sure. And this was all so... normal that it was almost, no, totally boring. Not her at all.

Sam turned into the drive of one of the houses. Darien gave it the once over. Yep. Boring suburbia. Not that he could talk. He'd never had a proper family, let alone a suburban house.

Sam ran to the door and gave it a shove open, calling for his mother. Darien approached the steps and peered inside for a second before turning sideways to carry Serena through the door. A woman appeared at Sam's call, tall and elegant with long hair and wearing a corporate suit.

"Sam? What-?" She spied Darien and the girl in his arms, "Oh my god, what happened?"

She ran forward to check her daughter.

"She's just unconscious as far as I can tell." Darien told her quickly. She looked up at him, suddenly registering his presence and he hurried to reassure her, "I'm a friend of Serena's. My name's Darien Shields. I'm also a doctor."

"But...how...?" she began.

"Mum, she collapsed on the way home. She said she wasn't feeling well." Sam supplied, putting his and Serena's book bags down.

"I think she's just exhausted. She was just at the skating rink, skating some pretty heavy stuff, and I think maybe it's been too much for her. Her pulse is strong, so she's not in any danger."

This made no sense at all to Darien, since as far as he could tell Serena was an extremely robust young woman. But he needed the mother to _not panic_. He hated panicking mothers. He couldn't deal with panicking mothers.

"I didn't know she was still skating!" Sam exclaimed.

Mrs Tsukino took a deep breath and calmed herself, much to his relief.

"I see... thank you so much for bringing her home... Mr Shields was it?"

Darien smiled at her, "Darien is fine."

"I see. Thank you Darien. I hate to ask you, but could you please take her to her room? Neither Sam nor I are strong enough to get her up the stairs. Sammy, could you show him where it is please? I'll be up in a second."

Sam led the way up the wide staircase and down a smooth, modernised hall to a door on the right. Serena's room was large and roomy. It was also nothing like her. Soft white bunnies, pink bedspread, Sailor V posters, and a small white study desk were definitely from a younger Serena's life. There were hints of the newer version; he could see them even as he laid her gently on the bed. A more adult music collection, including several rock and trance cd's that were not for the weak hearted. Several Cosmo and Vogue magazines, lots of makeup and a few adult books like – he blanched- 'Secret Diaries of a Call Girl'.

He looked down at the beautiful face. She was extremely pale. The worry he had been holding back now filled his mind. Why would she just collapse like that? What was wrong with her? He ran through a list of possible diagnoses in his head. None of them seemed to fit.

Serena's mother bustled in, now wearing a house dress and apron.

"Thank you very much, Darien."

"You're welcome." Darien watched her bend over her daughter, checking temperature and settling her comfortably. He felt awkward, watching this little scene. An outsider watching a family.

"Well," He coughed, "I guess I'll get going now I know she's home safe."

Mrs Tsukino started upright, "Oh, no! I can't let you go without thanking you properly!"

Darien blinked at her. Sam, guessing what was coming, smirked.

"You will stay for dinner. It's the least I can do. Sam, run to the shop for me, will you? There's a list on the kitchen bench. Money's in the tin."

Sam nodded, shot Darien a grin, and left the room.

"Really, ma'am, you don't have to do that-" he began, and stopped when she shot him what he would later term the 'Ikuko Glare of Doom'.

"You will stay for dinner." She repeated.

"Yes Ma'am." He said meekly.

* * *

Serena woke suddenly, and without any warning. It took her only a second to get her bearings. She was at home, on her bed with one of her old pink throws over her. She was still wearing her school uniform and she had no idea how she had got there. Her stomach growled and twisted in her middle and she winced. Being hungry all the time sucked. Her damn Scout appetite!

She sat up gingerly and found that she felt a lot better after her rest. She got up and changed out of her school uniform into a pair of jeans and tank top. Shuffling bare foot she headed downs stairs with a yawn. She could smell coffee. And... Was that roast lamb? Sniffing appreciatively she shuffled into the kitchen.

"ARGH!" she yelled, doing a dramatic pose and pointing, "What are you doing here?"

Darien, leaning against the kitchen counter and sipping coffee, raised an eyebrow at her with an undeniable smirk.

Her mother, who was standing at the bench, cutting vegetables, frowned at her, but before she could scold her daughter, her son leapt from where he had been sitting onto Serena, who staggered.

"Sam!" she yelped.

Sam, hanging off her shoulders grinned, "You're awake! We were worried!"

Serena frowned around at them all even as she hooked her hands behind her back to create a little seat so he could ride piggyback. The ten year old settled happily against his sister, keeping his arms around her neck. Darien felt a pang of longing. She was so absent minded about her little brother, and he didn't have one to be absent minded about.

"What happened? I don't remember coming home..."

Darien grinned, "I'll say, since you were unconscious at the time."

Serena blanched, and Darien watched as her bounce Sam a little. The boy grinned and giggled.

"I fainted?"

"Yes." her mother said sternly, "And I'll thank you not to talk to our guest like that, Serena. It's very rude."

Serena glowered at Darien, "Yes mother. What's he doing here, anyway?"

Her mother frowned at her again, "You didn't think Sam got you home on his own, so you? Mr Shields came along in time to help. It's a good thing too. Who knows what could have happened to you."

"I would have protected her!" Sam called out, making Serena wince and turn her head away from the loud voice.

"Protected who from what?"

Silence fell as Mr Tsukino entered the kitchen, and threw a curious but wary glance over Darien, who straightened up unconsciously.

Sam struggled to get down, and Serena dropped him obediently. The little boy ran to his father who scooped him up and asked again, "Protect who from what?"

"Serena fainted on the way home!" the little boy announced, "And I was gonna save her, but then Darien came along and I was bodyguard for them both!"

"I see." Mr Tsukino said calmly, but it was apparent from the glance he threw his wife that he was more curious than ever. Serena threw herself into a chair.

"Serena and Sammy were walking home when she fainted. Mr Shields here is a friend, and he came along in time to stop anything worse from happening. He carried her home and put her in her room for me. So I invited him for tea. Dear, please go get out of your work clothes, we'll be eating soon."

Serena shot Darien a surprised look, "You did?"

"I did." He was a little smug about it, but mostly now he felt an enormous sense of relief that she was awake and seemed ok.

Ikuko watched her husband disappear, followed closely by his adoring son, and then turned back to Serena.

"Serena, you need to thank Darien. Properly." She shot her daughter her Glare.

Serena 'meeped' and stood before bowing to Darien.

"My sincere thanks."

Darien grinned and nodded, "You're welcome."

A few minutes later, they were all seated at the dining room table, eating the roast lamb that Ikuko had cooked. Kenji (as he had asked Darien to call him) was quizzing him about his work. He surprised Serena when he told them he'd finished school before most kids had completed their first year of high school and was in his last year of internship.

He surprised them when he told them all about the skating show earlier that day. There was a general chorus of astonishment when he mentioned that Daisuke had said Serena could go professional without any problem. It seemed that no one had known Serena was still skating, they thought she had stopped a long time ago. Darien watched Serena's face as her mother expressed how glad she was that her daughter had a nice hobby. The girl was a little pleased, he could see, but at the same time, there was a furtive look in her eyes. He wondered what she was thinking.

It wasn't long before he and Serena got into one of their trademark arguments. Her family watched in amused astonishment. It started with him making a comment about Serena's study habits. He didn't quite call her dropout, but she flared up.

"Hey! That's not fair! I've improved!"

"By how much? A speck?"

"Same goes for you and your skating, don't think I didn't see you fumble that axel today!"

"Says the girl who can't walk down the street without falling over something! Usually herself!"

"I resent that! I am the epitome of grace!" she flicked her hair back, but unfortunately her hair caught her fork and flicked gravy all over her top.

Darien had to bend over the table to try and stop laughing. Sam fell of his chair, and Ikuko and Kenji laughed too.

Serena pouted, but one look into her sparkling eyes told him that she thought it was pretty funny too.

"Serena can't even walk down the stairs of a morning without falling!" Sam called from under the table, "It's hilarious, especially when she's wearing a nightie!"

Serena went bright red and dived under the table after him with a shriek; "Samuel Tsukino! Prepare to meet your doom!"

From the giggles that erupted, Darien was pretty sure that 'doom' translated to 'tickles' in the Tsukino household.

He was shown out the door by Serena an hour later.

"Tell your mum thanks for dinner. I know I've already said it, but thank her again."

"I will. She wanted me to tell you you're welcome to come for dinner any time."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "And how would you feel about that?"

She shrugged without meeting his eyes. He felt a surge of hope.

"You're not all bad, I guess." She muttered.

"Oh, thanks ever so."

She snorted, then paused, "Hey... thanks for earlier."

"You're welcome. Don't faint again, Serena. It's dangerous. I think you might want to see a doctor tomorrow."

She shook her head, "Nah, I know what the problem is. It's not something that can be fixed by a doctor." She shot him a grin, "Even one that graduated high school at fourteen."

He rolled his eyes and wandered away down the path. "See you, Dropout."

"Bye..." she waited till he was out of ear shot, "Darien..."

* * *

Serena didn't go to school the next day, but stayed in bed with a fever. Her exhaustion had lowered her immune system; Luna theorised, and made her vulnerable to infection. She spent a miserable day in bed, and though the girls visited after school they were only there for an hour before her mother sent them packing, much to Serena's dismay.

Luna was unsympathetic to her plight.

"If you hadn't gone gallivanting off in the rain you wouldn't be feeling sick now." She told the girl primly. Serena muttered and grumbled to herself, and Luna's sharp ears picked up 'bossy cat' before she pulled the covers over her head and tried to sleep yet again. She found she could and tumbled into oblivion with surprising speed.

Her dreams were strange.

_She stood in a long corridor, all white marble and there was a beautiful golden light shining through windows on her right. She tried to look out one of the windows, but couldn't see anything. She moved forwards down the corridor and noted with some surprise that she was wearing a very familiar long white dress. _

"_My daughter." A calm, gentle voice spoke from in front of her. She looked up to see a familiar, tall figure dressed all in white. Serena ran the last few metres to her mother before wrapping her arms around the taller figure. _

_Her mother hugged her back, and the sleeping Serena frowned. She could _feel_ it! _

"_No, this isn't a dream, dear one." Her mother said with a smile, patting her hair. "This is a realm I hope to never see you in again." _

"_Where are we?" Serena accepted that she was in a new realm readily enough, but now she wanted to know which one. _

"_It is our version of heaven, darling." _

_Serena's eyes widened, "I'm dead?" she gasped._

_Her mother nodded sadly, "You pushed yourself too far and you've fallen asleep. Your parents are trying to revive you at the moment. Your brother is panicking, and so is poor Luna." Her mother smiled, a gesture Serena took to be reassuring, "Don't worry, I will send you back soon. But first we must address the issue that landed you here in the first place. Your power." _

"_My power?" _

"_As my daughter there is a certain amount of ability in you that you have inherited from me, and that I inherited from my mother and so on. The ability to use and control raw energy easily. The Sailor Scouts have that ability too, though not quite so much of it. The main difference between you and the current scouts, of course, is how you transform into a Sailor Scout. That was a nice little piece of magic, by the way, turning yourself into a Scout." _

_Serena smiled up at the regal woman. _

"_So we need to replace the sceptre you've been using as your transforming tool with something more powerful, something that will allow you to transform and fight without draining yourself." _

"_But we haven't got any artefacts like that I can use!" Serena complained._

_Her mother shook her head at her. "I have something for you. It will not only tell you when one of the Rainbow Crystals is near, it will allow you to transform and fight." _

_She held out a small, silver wand, no longer than Serena's forearm. Like her own sceptre it had a set of wings and a crescent moon on one end. Unlike her sceptre it was completely silver. _

"_The Moon Wand." She breathed in amazement. She had forgotten all about the old thing. It was far, far older and more powerful than the Sailor Wands. _

_Her mother smiled and put the wand in her hand. "Now, I understand you have been keeping your identities secret from your friends. I think I know why, and if that is the case I applaud your foresight. However, Luna is not the only one that will recognise this wand, so we must disguise it for you. Where is your sceptre? In you sub-space pocket?" _

_Serena pulled the sceptre from the subspace pocket, marvelling at her mother's intelligence. _

_Her mother took the Wand and sceptre in each hand, shut her eyes, and muttered some Lunarian words that Serena remembered from long ago. _

"One line, two bodies. Two powers, one strength. Two tools, one weapon. End of a line, beginning of another."

_The two weapons in her hands glowed white briefly and Serena shut her eyes against the bright light. When she opened them, there was one object in her mother's hand. It was the same length and shape as her old sceptre, but it was all silver, except for a tiny Onyx jewel below the moon. Her mother handed it to her._

"_That jewel will change colour according to how near you are to a Rainbow Crystal. Do you remember the seven parts of the crystal?" _

_Serena pursed her lip, "Red for love. Orange for vengeance. Yellow for healing. Green for creating. Blue for... remembering?" her mother nodded so she continued, "Indigo for... um... was it power? And Violet for... protection?" _

_Her mother nodded twice. "As you collect the Crystals, be aware that each one has special powers of its own that anyone can wield. It is only when they are combined into the Silver Imperial Crystal that only you can use it. Be especially vigilant, daughter. Even one Rainbow Crystal in the hands of the Negaverse will negate any of the advantage that this wand gives you." _

"_I understand, mother." _

"_Remember also, that you can heal the General's once you have the yellow Rainbow Crystal, and you can return Endymion's memories to him when you have the blue. And once you add the indigo, nothing can stop you. But in a similar vein, the yellow in the hands of the Negaverse could tear you apart. The blue, in their hands, could brainwash an entire planet into thinking that the likes of Beryl is their queen. And if they got the Indigo... Do you see where I am going with this?" _

_Serena nodded seriously. "It's vital that I get the crystals. Or at least, that the Scouts get the crystals." _

_Queen Selenity smiled at her joyfully. "Good girl. Now is there anything else you need to know?" _

_There was. Something that had been bothering Serena deeply, thought she had not mentioned it to anyone. _

"_Mother, during a battle I was drained. Mercury said my heart stopped. That I actually died. How is that possible?" _

_Her mother gave her a sharp look, "You died?" _

_Serena nodded. "And then I woke up. I scared the hell out of myself." _

"_Language, dear. Unbecoming." Her mother murmured absently, and thought for a few seconds. Serena rolled her eyes at the comment and waited patiently. _

"_The seven Rainbow Crystals will combine to create the Silver Imperial Crystal, as you know." Her mother said at last. "But as I have said, the difference between the Rainbow Crystals and the Silver Imperial Crystal is that only one of our royal line can wield the Silver Crystal." _

_Serena nodded to show she understood. _

"_And only one of our family can form it from the crystals. Because there is something I hid in you when the Silver Millennium fell that will help you to do that. I would never have had to do it if the crystal hadn't shattered, of course. Seven crystals flew away from me, and I was left with a tiny, tiny shard." _

"_Shard of what?" _

"_The crystal. That shard contained the knowledge, will, memories and power of all the Queens that have come before us. I hid it in you. When the time comes, you will need to use it to combine the seven." _

"_How?" _

_Her mother smiled sadly at her, "I do not know. I was given the crystal whole from my mother, who was given it whole from hers. There is an ancient poem about it. Do you remember it?"_

"_You know I never remember poetry!" _

"_Here. Use this and then give it to Mercury. It belongs to her anyway." _

_Her mother handed her a small device the size and shape of a Nintendo DS. It was blue, and it had a gold Mercury symbol on it. Serena recognised it._

"_Her super PC! Oh, she'll be happy to have this back!" _

"_Look up the poem before you give it to her." _

_Serena nodded and tucked the little blue computer into her sub space pocket, "I will. Thankyou mother!" _

_Her mother nodded and embraced her tearfully, "Oh, my brave girl. You have grown up so much. Remember that I will always love you." _

_Serena clung to her mother and cried for some time. Eventually though, her mother gently disentangled herself,_

"_My dear, it's time to go back. The doctors are getting frantic for your life." _

"_Doctors?" _

"_Hmm...Endymion is terrified you'll die on him, I see." _

"_Endymion?" _

"_Yes..." Her mother smiled, "Fancy him becoming a doctor. I must say it suits him." _

"_Endymion is a doctor?" _

_Her mother laughed. "No more hints, dear, off you go. Back the way you came." _

_Serena smiled sadly at her mother, "Thank you, mother." _

_She turned and ran back the way she had come. _

_

* * *

_

When she opened her eyes the first thing she thought was _holy crap that's bright._ It took her a second to figure out that the reason it was so bright was because she was in hospital. She looked first left, and then right. Seeing a plethora of medical instruments and machines but nothing else, she tried to raise herself on her elbows and found that both arms were connected to drips, not to mention she had a mask over her face. She pulled a face and ripped first one and then the other of the drips out before tearing off the mask.

She sat up, found she was wearing monitoring pads on her chest and pulled them off too.

"So much paraphernalia." She muttered, "They probably didn't have a clue what has been wrong with me."

And it was what _had been_ wrong. She felt fine. In fact, she felt great! Full of energy.

She looked around the little room. What next? She was wearing a hospital gown and she hated those things. She wasn't going anywhere until she had clothes.

The door opened, and a man in a lab coat stared at her, his hand on the door knob.

Time stopped for her.

"_Seriously though, Mol, I didn't see Sailor Moon at all." _

"_She was there!" _

"_Well, ok, but why did she leave?" Serena asked, playing her part as well as she could. _

_Molly frowned, "You don't think she was hurt do you?" _

_Darien answered that without thinking, "No, she's probably just drained." _

_... He skated just like him... _

"_Oh, Mercury's all right." Darien said, wrapping her leg gently, "Mars is a hothead, but she's learning quickly." _

_... He spoke just like him... _

"_Yes..." Her mother smiled, "Fancy him becoming a doctor. I must say it suits him."_

_.. Godamnit! He looked just like him! How had she missed it?

* * *

  
_

**AN: ha hah! **

**I haven't proof read this properly because I want to post it so if there's something you notice let me know! **

**So, she's finally started to put two and two together. On another note, I've decided that I'll be shortening the chapters a little; they're getting longer and longer as time goes on. This one is 27 pages, and it would have been 37 except I decided I want to give you all a cliffie. The other ten pages will begin next chapter. **

***dies* **

**So tired! **

**Don't forget to visit my livejournal so you can grab a sneak preview. It's listed as my homepage on my profile, but look up Neonstar23 at if you can't be bothered finding it. Also, there's a picture of Serena's dress from last chapter there if you're interested. I don't think I did it justice so I posted a picture. I will also be posting some illustrations from this story when I can get them done there, so I'll let you know about them then. **

**Thanks to all my reviewers once again. **

**Linds: thanks for your kind review. I'm glad you enjoyed Darien and Serena's interaction. I found it really hard to write, and tried about five times to get it good enough to publish. ^_^ Hope to see you next chapter, should be up next week. **

**Rossi: Thanks for your review! Ya know, 3 degrees is cold even for here, and we hadn't started winter yet! *shivers* yeah I thought having Serena defeat the monster on her own without her Sailor Powers set a good precedent for something I have in mind later. Lol. And no, Serena isn't all knowing. That would just be stupid. Ok, so she knows more than the others, that's fine, but having her all knowing is annoying I find, especially in first season AU fics. Part of her original charm is that she figured things out as she went along. **

**Hope to see you next chapter! Should be up on Sunday. **

**MewMoon: I'm updating I'm updating! As for Darien finding out who she is... wait and see. All will be revealed, next chapter. Well, not quite, but some... a little... not much. Sorry. Yeah, the idea behind the scouts sucking without her there is that they try to get stronger on their own. Hopefully that will work. Hope to see you next time! **


	7. Jupiter and Jewels

**AN: Hey guys, thanks for your lovely reviews last chapter. Thanks especially to those who took the time to leave some proper criticism! That was really great to read. **

**Also out of all the chapters I have re-written for this version, this is the one I'm the least happy with. (sad face) Mainly this chapter is a way to get from point A to B. **

**Please let me know your honest thoughts!

* * *

**

Darien Shields stared in shock at the girl sitting in the bed. For days he had been staring at closed eyes and a pale face, and now there she was, sitting up, eyes open, staring at him with wide eyes, hair mussed but extremely, extremely, awake.

"My god." He murmured, entering the room fully and shutting the door out of habit, "You're awake."

She blinked, coming back from her memories with a mental thud, "How long have I been asleep?" she was actually quite proud of how normal she sounded, considering she had just figured out who he was, not to mention had a conversation with her long dead mother.

Darien passed a hand over his face and threw himself into a chair by the bed and shook his head.

"Not asleep, Serena. You've been in a coma for a week and three days."

Serena started, "What? That's impossible, I was only gone for..." she trailed off. Then she sighed and shook her head ruefully. "Ok... I guess I can handle that..." she looked off into the distance and he watched her eyes. They frowned, showing irritation, puzzlement and a great deal of sorrow. And then she turned an unsettlingly clear gaze on him.

"What happened? Did I crash?" she gestured to the monitors and he reminded himself that she'd been in hospital before. He'd seen her history the day they bought her in. Broken neck, of all things... no wonder she was so far behind with her school work... he felt bad about the dropout comments now.

He took a deep, shaky breath and rubbed his face. It had hurt more than he would have thought to see her carried in on a gurney, mask over her face and her skin grey.

Serena watched him silently, still reeling inside. "It's alright," she said gently, "I can see the answer on your face."

He sighed and nodded, "Your parents are at work, and they made Sammy go to school today. I'll go call them... no, wait, I'll have to check your vitals first."

Serena nodded and submitted to the examination with equanimity, if a little absently. As soon as he left to make the call she jumped out of bed and got dressed. There was no way in hell that she was staying that paper/fabric gown!

She was sitting patiently when her mother arrived, her calm face belying the turmoil within her.

Darien was Tuxedo Mask.

Darien was _Endymion. _

Hoooly shiiit.

_What the hell_ was she gonna do?

* * *

Lita watched the boy at the game machine in astonishment. He had a box full of toys at his feet, and was still getting more! Beside her, Amy was reading a book. Lita glanced at the title. _Comas: a definitive guide. _She sighed. Amy had taken Serena's collapse particularly hard and was convinced the answer to curing her friends' mysterious condition was in a book. She glanced across the table at Raye and Molly. Molly was playing with her milkshake and Lita was pretty sure that she hadn't drunk any more than the last time she looked. Beside her Raye was scribbling in a note book, supposedly studying but Lita could see a whole page of doodles in that book, not study.

She turned back to the guy at the game machine. "He's got about twenty of those toys now." She announced.

No one answered.

Lita sighed. What had happened to Serena frightened and puzzled her. She missed the bright presence of the girl. And she had only known her a couple of days. How much worse would it be for her family? Or Molly, who had been her friend for so long?

Lita sighed again as the boy picked up his box and left the arcade.

She glanced back around at her friends. Then she stood up, "I've gotta get moving. I can't keep sitting here. I need to move. I feel like I'm going crazy." She told them. No one looked up and she left.

She wandered out into the street and headed towards the hospital. She may as well at least sit with Serena, since she knew Serena's parents couldn't, they were working full time and needed to stay that way to pay hospital bills.

She was half way there when she was distracted by a scream behind her. She spun to see a tall man with short blond hair grab the boy from the arcade. He struggled, dropping his toys and yelling for help. Lita leapt forwards without hesitation, but the man saw her coming, held out a palm and she felt herself being lifted off her feet and thrown backwards. She landed painfully on her back and stared upwards, wondering what the hell had just hit her. Around her people screamed and ran, clearing the street in seconds.

Lita jerked herself to her feet and looked around. The man was watching her, his hair moving in the wind a little, and sneering. Behind him, the boy from the arcade lay unconscious.

Lita dived at him, swing out with a kick. He stepped easily out of the way, and then punched her in the stomach. Again she flew backwards. This time, however she didn't land. Two arms stretched out, one from the left, one from the right, and caught her.

She looked first left, then right. Then looked again.

Sailor Mercury smiled at her from her left. Mars watched her quietly from her right. She was leaning on their arms, crossed against her back. She stared in astonishment.

"Hey there, you wanna leave it to us now?" Mercury asked her calmly. Lita nodded dumbly and moved back as the two scouts advanced.

"MERCURY ICE BUBBLES BLAST!"

The area filled with mist.

There was a laugh from the mist, and the mist disappeared.

"What..?" murmured Mercury, eyes wide.

Jadeite laughed at her, "I'm used to your tricks now. I know how to counter you, Mercury... but who have we here?" he turned to Mars, who was frozen in place.

"I haven't seen you before, my dear. Lovely." Jadeite sneered at her. Mars let out a strange kind of strangled noise.

Mercury let out a growl, "you leave her alone, you bastard!"

Jadeite raised an eyebrow at her, "Feisty! That's unusual for you, Mercury. What is it about this new one that is so interesting?"

"MERCURY ICE BUBBLES MAELSTROM!" Mercury bellowed, throwing a burst of freezing wind at the man.

Lita felt something strange, deep inside her. She wanted to help! She needed to; somehow, these girls needed her!

"Want to join in?" a quiet voice asked from behind her.

She spun. Standing silently behind her were two people she recognised from the massive amount of media coverage they received. One was female, with a slim build and wearing a red, blue and white uniform. The other was a tall dark haired man wearing a tuxedo.

"Sailor Moon! Tuxedo Mask!" she breathed.

Sailor Moon beamed at her, "Hey there, Jupiter. Want to join in?"

Tuxedo Mask threw her a surprised glance, "Sailor Jupiter, really?" He asked.

Sailor Moon nodded.

He looked back at Lita an cocked his head to one side, "Huh... I see it now..."

Moon continued as if he hadn't spoken. "So. Lita. You want to join in or not? You can help them you know."

Lita looked back to the fight in time to see the boy from the arcade transform into some kind of robot monster.

Sailor Moon 'tutted'. "Rainbow Crystal alert."

Lita spun back to her, "I can help them? How?"

Sailor Moon held out a small green pen. "Here. Take this, say 'Jupiter Power' and then join us when you can."

She and Tuxedo Mask advanced to the battle scene.

Mercury let out a shriek as she was caught in the vice-like grip of the robot-like creature.

A couple of metres away Mars let out a sob, and Mercury spun to see her struggling in Jadeites grip.

"Let her go you bastard!" she yelled, struggling against the grip on her waist.

Jadeite was peering down at Mars, frowning in a puzzled manner at the crying girl, "Do I know you?"

Mars jerked against the hold he had on her arms, her despair suddenly turning to the rage for which she was so well known once upon a time. "You do, you great pillock!" she snarled.

Jadeite blinked in surprise, "What did you call me?"

"Pillock! PILLOCK! It means idiot! IDIOT! YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Raye yelled into his face.

"Careful there, Jadeite, she's got a tongue on her. Not that I suppose that is anything new to you." came a amused voice, and Mercury jerked her head around to see Sailor Moon wander up with an unconcerned look on her face, followed closely by Tuxedo Mask, who was grinning about something.

"You shouldn't be here!" she growled at the scout.

Sailor Moon shot her a wry look, "You seem busy, Mercury. We'll have that chat when you're not caught by a monster, shall we?"

Jadeite laughed at her from where he was still holding Mars, "I'll get the Rainbow Crystal, Sailor Moon. Nothing you can do will stop me."

Sailor Moon smiled sinisterly at him, "Oh I won't be the one to be doing anything. I'll leave that to our new friend."

Tuxedo Mask stepped one way, Sailor Moon the other and Mercury watched in amazement as a tall woman dressed in a white and green Sailor Suit stalked between them.

"Jupiter," she breathed, eyes widening.

Jupiter didn't bother introducing herself. She just stretched out both hands towards her opponent and yelled the words that had come to her as she transformed, "Jupiter thunder CLAP!", slamming her palms together on the word 'clap'.

A burst of green lightning burst from her finger tips, and sailed across the space into Jadeites chest. He let go of Mars and was flung backwards. Mars scrambled backwards and struggled to her feet.

Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon threw their own attacks at the machine creature that was holding Mercury. He let go of her, staggering backwards and she sent a burst of ice at him. Freezing him on the spot.

Sailor Moon raised her sceptre and Mercury noticed something odd about it. It had changed, somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. something about the colour maybe?

"Moon Sceptre Power!" A gentle golden light swirled from the crescent moon on Sailor Moon's sceptre and towards the frozen boy/machine. He let out a shriek, and when the light faded he was back to being a normal boy, lying unconscious on the ground. Sailor Moon stepped up to him and crouched to pick up a small orange crystal the same shape as a diamond cut jewel and size of a light globe.

"Orange." She said to herself, and then looked up at the three watching scouts. "One seventh of the way now."

Jupiter blinked, "To what?"

Mercury looked at her, "Do you remember anything?"

Jupiter looked around at them, "Just now I had a flash of some freaky white palace... and I knew what to say to attack that strange fella. And I've been having some weird dreams with you guys in them..."

Everyone looked at Sailor Moon. She pouted, "What? Just because I sent Mercury and Mars a couple of dreams every nightmare is my fault?"

Jupiter looked at her in surprise, "Wait, you can send people dreams?"

Sailor Moon sighed. "I guess we have some explaining to do to you, Jupiter, huh?"

"NO!" Jadeite yelled, and flung himself at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon rolled backwards and flung her legs up, catching him with her heels in the stomach and kicking upwards and over her head. He went sailing straight over her and landed in a heap several metres away.

Sailor Moon rose to her feet, holding the crystal in one hand and the sceptre in the other.

"Geez. Pity it wasn't the yellow one." she said with real regret. "Or even the blue would have done. I could have helped you then."

Jadeite launched himself to his feet with a snarl and sent a crackling bolt of dark light at her. She swung her sceptre lazily, and it disappeared.

Beside Jupiter, Mercury gasped. "How did she do that?"

Jadeite seemed to be puzzling over the same question. He looked from where the attack had disappeared to Sailor Moon in a puzzled manner.

Sailor Moon yawned. "Hey, Jadeite. Where's Nephrite these days?"

Jadeite slowly advanced, putting each foot in front of the other in a slow, careful movement, "Whatever you did to him has put him out of commission... he's resting. She hasn't let us see him. What _did _you do to him?"

"So you got your old job back." Sailor Moon said snidely, "Beryl must be scraping the bottom of the barrel... wait, I thought you were the weakest of the four? What, do the other two wait on the redheaded cow, do they?"

He went white. "Don't joke about this, you stupid little girl. Beryl is far more dangerous and terrifying than you can imagine."

Sailor Moon watched him silently for a second. "I'm not scared of Beryl, Metallia, or anything else the Negaverse can throw at me."

"You must be scared of something!" He sneered, taking another step forward.

"You're right." Sailor Moon responded quietly, "I am scared of what you and your friends have done to us in the past. What you can do to us now."

"What are you babbling about?" he snapped. Mercury wondered as well. Why would Sailor Moon be scared of the Generals when Metallia and Beryl were about?

Mars let out a growl, "Oh, Gee, let me think... she's worried that you and your little play buddies are going to do to this planet if Beryl gets out of the Negaverse."

An expression of confusion crossed Jadeites face. Mars stalked up to stand next to Sailor Moon who looked at her with approval. Apparently Mars wasn't about to let her ex's evil status get her down.

When Jadeite didn't answer Mars continued, "Or did you think she'd leave Earth alone once she added it to her little collection?"

Jadeite frowned, "What do you mean?"

Sailor Moon took over when Mars snorted and rolled her eyes. Her voice took on a haunting tone.

"Jadeite, look around you. This planet is beautiful and rich. But I know what the Negaverse looks like. No sun. Stagnant air. No plants, just hard, cold rock. It's either freezing cold or burning. Anything you build collapses after only a short time, since the ground tremors so much. And if it's not earthquakes, the sky rains black fire on you."

Jadeite was as grey as his uniform. "How can you know that?"

He wasn't the only one wondering. Mercury was listening intently. Tuxedo Mask had his head cocked to one side. Jupiter was looking bewildered.

Sailor Moon shrugged, "I've been there, of course. But that is far beside the point. The point is that do you think that Beryl and Metallia will leave Earth as she is?"

He growled, "You've mentioned this Metallia person a couple of times now. Who are you talking about?"

Sailor Moon paused, and then shook her head in disbelief. "You mean Beryl hasn't told you? You idiot, Jadeite! Did you think that the likes of _Beryl_ could orchestrate this? She's got to have at least half the little lords of Nega-Land behind her, and that's not something she could have done on her own. She's got back up in the form of Metallia, Queen of Darkness and Death. Real Nasty Bitch, that one."

Jadeite recognised the term of 'Queen of Darkness' and blanched.

"But she was locked away!" he cried, "When she ruled even the Negaverse started to crumble under her dark weight."

Sailor Mars shrugged, "We never said Beryl was smart."

"But... the energy we've been gathering... it's for Beryl and the dark crystals!" he blurted, eyes pleading. He didn't understand. Mars felt her heart twist, and found she had no voice.

Moon stepped in again, "She's probably gathering energy in other ways too."

Mercury started, "What?"

"There has been a spate of disappearances among the homeless." Came a new voice, and a small black cat sauntered into the scene. She twitched her tail in a friendly manner at Sailor Moon before looking at Jadeite.

"These disappearances have been happening for almost a year. I believe she's been taking the homeless from many of the largest cities on earth. Paris. Tokyo. London. New York. Berlin. Moscow. Beijing. There are thousands of people missing. Hundreds of thousands. People that won't be missed... she takes them and then she then drains them of their energy. All without anyone noticing."

Jupiter sidled up to Sailor Moon and plucked at her sleeve. The blond turned and raised an eyebrow. Jupiter swallowed, eyes not leaving Luna, "That cat is _talking_!"

Sailor Moon chuckled, "That's Luna. Don't worry about her, but careful, her claws are sharp. A cat is only one of her forms, and one of the most inconspicuous."

"Oh... right..."

The conversation around them had continued;

Tuxedo Mask frowned, "If they were doing it on the quiet why would they suddenly come out into the open like this?" he waved a hand at the scene of battle.

Luna sighed, "The only answer I can come up with is that the crystals are almost full, and Beryl is impatient. She wants the Negaverse to reign over earth now."

Jadeite shook his head. "I never understood why she was so fixated on earth."

Tuxedo Mask cleared his throat, "There was someone she was in love with on Earth, once. Someone she couldn't have. So her love turned to hate. That's how it started, anyway."

Jadeite looked dumbfounded, "That's pathetic!" he cried.

Sailor Mars doubled over laughing. Mercury and Jupiter smiled, and Sailor Moon, Luna and Tuxedo Mask laughed.

"Think about what we've told you, Jadeite. If you feel there's something in what we've told you, come find us. We'll be able to return you to your true position soon." Sailor Moon promised.

Jadeites eyes went wide, "You mean, I'd live here on earth? Like a human?" he asked her.

"Duh!" Mars rolled her eyes.

Tuxedo Mask answered, "Yes, on earth. That's how you started out. As one of us good guys."

Jadeite looked at them. The smiling blond woman with kind eyes. The raven haired beauty who was looking at him with hope. The blunette who was nodding, the confused new scout, and the man in the tuxedo who was smiling gently.

"Please try and convince the other Generals, Jadeite," Sailor Moon said gently, "you are all human, no matter how long you have spent in the Negaverse. You belong here on earth with all of us."

"I'll think about it." he promised, and then was gone.

Mars sighed. Moon clapped a hand on her shoulder, "Cheer up, Pyro. Life is getting better. We have a new scout. We have the Rainbow Crystal of Vengeance. We have Endymion. I have a new toy... oh, Mercury, that reminds me. Selenity sends her regards and wanted me to give you this."

A small blue device appeared in her hand. She held it out to Mercury, who stared at it in amazement.

"A DS?" asked Lita, confused, "and who's Selenity?"

"Our Queen..." answered Mars, frowning at Moon, "how did she send her regards?"

Sailor Moon waved a hand, "Too much to explain right now. I'm going on patrol; we need to see if we can find any more Rainbow Crystals as soon as possible. The Negaverse have obviously accelerated their plans, and we need to be ready. Like I said, the scouts and princess will take care of themselves."

Mercury had opened the DS and Jupiter took a look, "Wow. That's no DS."

Mercury smiled at her, "Lita, it's just a disguise."

Jupiter jumped, "How did you know who I was?"

"I recognised you the day you were introduced in class. It's me, Lita. Amy."

"Amy...?" Jupiter's eyes were wide and her cheeks puffed out comically in astonishment, "Amy Mizuno?"

"None other."

"Hey, guess who I am, Lita! Take a guess!" Mars challenged.

Sailor Moon snorted at her, "You're too into this."

"Like you can talk! You won't even tell us your real identity!"

Sailor Moon sighed, "I have my reasons for that."

"Reason my ass! You just like the secrets!"

"Yes Mars, yes. I loooove secrets. That's why I've kept my identity a secret. That's why. Well done." Sailor Moon turned away, folding her arms in a superior manner.

Mars growled at the bored tone, and Jupiter let out a bark of laughter and pointed at her.

"HAH! I know! You're Raye! You so totally gave that away!"

Mars pouted.

"Girls, we shouldn't be having this discussion here." Luna scolded, "Let's go to the shrine. Sailor Moon, are you alright to patrol?"

Sailor Moon held up her new sceptre, "All set."

"I'll need to talk to you later." Luna warned.

"Of course. Bye guys!"

* * *

A couple of hours, many hot chocolates and a very disturbing story later, Lita looked around at Amy, Raye and Luna.

"Let me get this straight." She began, "we are the protectors of a princess from the moon. Tuxedo Mask is her lover, a prince whose real name is Endymion. We have to find a mythical crystal that will help us defeat the Negaverse who are after Earth. We also have to find said Moon Princess. And the last scout."

"Sailor Venus, yes." Luna nodded.

"And... I'm Sailor Jupiter... thunder scout and number four."

"That's right. The last of the scouts, but by no means the weakest."

Lita frowned, "What do you mean I'm the last, you just said we had to find Venus, but there are four already!"

Raye huffed, "Sailor Moon didn't exist in the Silver Millennium. Not as a Sailor, anyway. We don't know who she is."

"I think we can trust her though." Amy said carefully, "she's never let us down. And she's obviously trying hard to help, if it's doing her damage like Luna says."

Raye glowered at Amy, "She's a cow, get used to it already."

Amy exploded with a surprising amount of force, "I've known her longer than you so don't you call her a cow! She's saved my life several times when she didn't have to; she hasn't gloated about it like you do and once it almost killed her!"

There was a beat of silence. Lita wondered what to say.

Luna purred, "It's nice to see you standing up for her, Amy. I can tell you all that whoever she was on the Moon she was close to the Queen, like Artemis and I. She was apparently privy to many of Selenity's secrets."

"Could she be a Lunar Agent, Luna?" asked Amy, "I've been wondering."

"What's a Lunar Agent?" asked Lita, and from the look on Raye's face she didn't know either.

Luna sighed, "Really, you two can't remember soon enough. A Lunar Agent is, like a Sailor Scout, a protector of the Lunarian line. Unlike the scouts, we are more shadowy and quiet. We are basically spies and informers. We keep tabs on the political world and such things. We work in the shadows; listen at keyholes, that kind of thing."

"I remember I was always confused because you had numbers for call signs, and the numbers made no sense. You were two and Artemis was three, but there was never a number one." Amy commented from where she was stretched out on Raye's bed.

"There wasn't." Luna agreed from where she was sitting on the floor, "Selenity told me not to worry about it, but it never sat well with me. I always had the inkling there was another person informing her."

"You mean there were only two of you even to begin with?" asked Lita in surprise.

Luna nodded, and then shook her head, "That's beside the point anyway. We need to stay alert. Now you're awake, Lita, you might find yourself attacked. Don't hesitate to use that communicator I gave you to call us. We'll come as quick as we can."

Lita nodded, whatever the reason, she was part of this now. She would see it through.

It was late afternoon the next day when Serena wandered towards her Molly's house. She had snuck out of home. Well, perhaps snuck out wasn't the term she should use. Her mother had made her promise to stay resting when she had asked to be discharged from the hospital, but she had 'escaped' to visit her friend.

They had left the hospital against doctor's orders yesterday, of course. But really, she knew she was fine. And her mother had backed her up when three hours of tests hadn't found anything to worry about. This had puzzled the doctors immensely. Darien... No, Endymion, hadn't understood and had been angry at both her and her mother. Of course, he had been more vocal with her...

_***flashback***_

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded when he had found out, glaring at her._

_Serena tried to explain that she knew exactly what had been wrong and that it was all ok now, "Look, Darien I know it's against doctors orders but-"_

_"What happens if you collapse again?" he hissed, "What happens when you collapse again? What about when you crash? Do your parents own a crash cart? Can they revive like I had to?"_

_She hadn't known until then that he had revived her. The thought of him trying to make her breath again broke her heart, and she had tried to thank him, but he was so angry with her._

_"Look, Darien, thanks to you I'm still here-"_

_"And how long is that gonna last if you leave?" he snapped._

_"But I need to go home. I know you don't believe me, but I know what was wrong, and I know I'm better now."_

_"I know that you're making a mistake!" he growled._

_Serena glanced over to where her mother was just out of earshot, signing forms. If he wasn't going to believe her then... she had one more card to play._

_"Darien, you've seen our house. It's nice, right?"_

_He blinked, thrown by the change in subject, "Um, yeah, but what has that got to do with anything?"_

_"We're only holding onto that place by the skin of our teeth. Hospital bills from my last stay here have only just been paid off. Sam's Glandular Fever ones haven't. And now there's this. We can't afford for me to stay any longer."_

_He blinked, taken aback and not knowing what to say._

_"I know I'm fine now." She repeated, "I know I'm fine so I'm happy to leave. As soon as mum lets me I'm getting a job to help pay of my debts."_

_"But surely your health should-"_

_"Are you listening to me at all? I'm fine! Even if you don't believe me, do you believe all your cat scans and X-Rays and equipment? Because it's telling you the same damn thing! There. Is. Nothing. Wrong. With. Me!"_

_Darien had to aced that point. Three hours of extensive tests, and another couple of hours waiting for results, and they found nothing. There wasn't even a blip in her brianwaves._

_He sighed, defeated, and Serena, sensing victory, patted his shoulder, "Never mind. Some day you'll understand."_

_And she turned around and walked back to her mother. Darien watched her go. What was that all about?_

_Serena had just been put to bed at home when she felt the all too familiar sensation of a monster nearby. She glanced around nervously. Her mother was downstairs, having taken the rest of the day off. She couldn't leave with her mother about to check on her!_

_She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, and an idea came to her. From the extensive bank of spells and charms she had remembered from her magic lessons on the moon, there was one that created a double of herself from her reflection. She went up to the mirror, and placed her hand on the glass, speaking the old lunarian words and then stepped back. Her reflection stepped out of the mirror, grinned at her and climbed into bed._

_She transformed and jumped out the window._

**_*end flashback*_**

It had hurt to see Darien worried and confused about her, but with her mother there, it wasn't exactly the time to tell him who she was. Serena also knew that what she told Darien about the hospital bill wasn't a lie; her mother _was_ worried about the bill from her care. Not that she'd ever admit it to her daughter. Serena puzzled for a second over how quick her mother had been to accept her testimony about her health. Was their financial position worse than she thought?

Besides, what would happen if she let them do more tests? The best option had been to get out of the hospital before they noticed something in her physical makeup that had them asking questions.

_Yeah, doctor, the reason I heal so fast when you stick a scalpel in me is because I'm Sailor Moon, honest! _

_Pfft. _

By now Lita would be up to date on everything, and all the girls would be on their way home from school. They still didn't know she was up and about, she made a mental note to herself to say hello soon. But she had had enough of Scouts and Scout business lately, so she headed to Osa-P and surprised Molly and her mother with her visit. Not that it was a bad surprise, they assured her, just a surprise. Molly was overjoyed to have her friend back and asked incessant questions about what had been wrong. Serena told her everything the doctors had said, leaving out the fact that she knew exactly what had been wrong and how it had been fixed.

Molly was overjoyed to see Serena up and about. Which was a good thing, since it was the anniversary of her grandfathers death that day and she was going to a cemetery across town to visit his grave. She asked Serena to come, since she her mother couldn't because of work.

They bussed across town and Molly bought a lovely bunch of chrysanthemums at a florist before entering the large cemetery. Unsurprisingly the place was devoid of any human life. It took them a few minutes to find the small, modest grave, and after hovering awkwardly for a few minutes while Molly sat by the grave, Serena wandered off, looking curiously at the different names and types of graves. Tombs, crypts and stones were laid out in haphazard rows, some many years old and some new. She paused to look at a chorus of angels seated on a tomb nearby. She became lost in memories of a similar chorus of angels in the gardens of The Lunarian Palace. How she missed her home. The beautiful silver light. The peace and quiet! Bloody Tokyo was _never_ quiet.

The peace of the cemetery was split by a familiar voice screaming her name. She felt a jolt of power lance through her and hauled her glowing sceptre from her sub-space pocket even as she began to run. She didn't bother dodging the tombstones, just vaulted over them with ease. Within a minute, Molly was in sight. She was on the ground against her grandfathers tombstone, staring in horror as the priest standing over her in a black cassock, clutching his head and screaming as a strange mottled swirl of power streaked around him.

"Molly!" She yelled, "Move your ass!"

Molly scrambled around the stone, putting it between her and the creature "What the hell is going on?" she called to her friend.

Serena felt a stab of guilt. She and Molly had already been attacked. The monsters must have sensed her aura both times, and she had been stupid enough to keep hanging around her friends instead of keeping them safe by keeping her distance. How stupid could she get? Just because the other scouts hadn't been attacked, she had thought she was safe. But obviously her aura was more powerful than the others.

She looked at Molly's face. Her friend was scared. She had seen these monsters before. She knew what they could do.

"Molly, come and stand behind me." She ordered, watching as the poor priest started to transform, growing strange wings.

Molly threw her a startled, "Wha-?"

"GET BEHIND ME NOW!" Serena snarled, and Molly obeyed with numb fright.

The monster completed his transformation, he was now a tall, winged creature with strange gauntlets for hands. The muscles on its arms made it obvious it was gonna pack a punch.

She glanced over her shoulder at Molly.

"Keep the secret for me, 'kay?" she asked softly.

Molly's eyes widened and she moved back as the strange stick in Serena's hand began to shoot out small glowing lights that hit Serena, and – and changed her.

Molly watched Sailor Moon transform with complete and utter astonishment that turned to a rueful, cocky grin when the sequence finished and the light disappeared.

"I should have known."

The monster threw a punch, darting forwards with incredible speed. Sailor Moon darted her head to one side without moving her body and the punch grazed her cheek.

For an instant they stood like that and Molly didn't see Sailor Moon move, but then the monster let out a surprised 'erk' and its arm broke, twisting horribly upwards and around. It leapt backwards, screaming.

"Don't underestimate me!" snapped Sailor Moon.

Molly watched as Sailor Moon lifted a foot, and then seemed to disappear. She reappeared behind the monster, hair flying and eyes cold, flying through the air. Molly watched as her sceptre impacted with the side of his head just above a pointed ear and sent him flying, straight through several grave stones.

He was up again in an instant, using his wings. He swooped on the two girls and Sailor Moon grabbed Molly and dodged to the left. She dropped Molly by a large tomb.

"Stay out of the way, alright?" she told her friend before moving away, back out into clearer ground.

It seemed that with his wings, he was a lot quicker, and she reflected how lucky she had been with the last Rainbow Crystal that he had been distracted by the other scouts.

He threw one handed punch after punch at her, and she managed to miss most of them... then he got her good in the stomach, throwing her _through_ a headstone. She rolled to her stomach and winced, pain lancing through her side. _Cracked or broken ribs._ She grumbled to herself as she got to her feet and threw her tiara in an absent minded fashion. It missed, like she had expected it to. She had only really thrown it to distract him while she worked herself to her feet in time to catch it on its return.

He threw a punch from several metres away and she ducked instinctively and was glad an instant later that she had. Apparently the gauntlets could detach themselves and be thrown. It crashed into a head stone behind her and she spun, bringing her sceptre down on it, cracking it in half.

He let out a scream of rage, and she couldn't help but grin, "Unless you can regenerate I think you should keep your punches to yourself, idiot."

He snarled again, and leapt back into the air. Sailor Moon hauled her arm back and threw her tiara again with all her might. It caught him in the wing – she had been aiming for his head ,but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?

He fell to earth with a crash that shook the ground, and before he could blink she aimed her sceptre at him, "Moon Sceptre Power!"

Molly came out of hiding as he returned to his normal state.

Sailor Moon picked up a small green crystal the size and shape of a USB from the ground next to an unconscious priest.

She looked up at Molly, "Hey there Moll. Guess you've got some questions?"

Molly nodded silently, and Sailor Moon, _her friend_ continued, "Then let's head back to my place, shall we? Mum will have a cow if she gets home and I'm not there."

They bussed all the way to Serena's block in silence. Serena seemed to be lost in thought, and Molly found herself tallying up all the information she knew about her friend as well as Sailor Moon.

They had the same hair. _That_ should have told her who the heroine was straight away!

She had never seen the two of them together, and both of them had been present in the photo shoot battle.

Serena had changed. She was working harder at her studies. She kept disappearing. She was serious about things more than she had been. There was a strange look in her eyes these days, a weariness and strange strength that hadn't been there before.

When they got to Serena's house, Serena hurried up the tree outside her bedroom window and climbed in, banishing her mirror image. The image stepped back into the mirror with a grin, and Serena wondered what it had been up to in her room all morning.

Molly rang the doorbell, and Serena answered

When they were comfortably sitting in Serena's room, Serena's gaze focused on her with intensity.

"So, I think perhaps I should tell you the whole story, and then you can ask any questions you have. Sound good?"

Molly took a sip of the juice Serena had handed her and nodded.

Serena smiled briefly before launching into her tale. It took three hours to tell it all. By the time it was over, Molly had laughed with, cried with and berated her friend. But she understood. Serena had wanted to keep her safe by keeping her out of it, and it hadn't worked. So she showed her everything, told her everything.

Molly's best friend was an alien princess.

Twisted much?

* * *

Serena was under orders to stay in bed the next day, but late in the afternoon instead of going stir crazy she escaped the prison of home and headed to the shrine to see the girls. She was fairly sure they would be there. They were, but they were all in uniform and training up the back at the top of the hill. She briefly considered joining them but the imagined wrath of her mother made her turn and head home just in time to almost trip over Raye's Grandfather.

"Miss Tsukino?"

Surprised at the formal address, Serena blinked at the old man.

"Hey there gramps! Long time!"

He merely nodded at her, wizened face serious before turning and beginning to shuffle away, calling quietly over his shoulder. "Follow me."

Curious, she did so. They wandered up the hill, behind the shrine proper and Raye's house, high up to the tiny little building that she'd seen only from a distance. It was a small, traditionally made building with a small veranda running around the outside.

He entered. She hesitated only a moment before following. Inside she felt all her breath whoosh out of her in an amazed gasp. For inside the tiny one room hut there were shelves of objects that should have been either in a museum or lost as part of the dust of time.

She moved slowly to the centre of the room and span on the spot, trying to take everything in at once.

There was Neptune's beautiful Mirror, Uranus' elegant Sword, Mars' fiery bow, Mercury's ancient Harp, Jupiter's shining Antenna and Venus' golden Chain. Paintings from her old home, the Silver Palace. Sculptures, jewellery, piles of data disks. All of them placed in cases and displayed like pieces of fine art.

She turned to the little man. "How?" she breathed.

He seated himself on a large flat cushion and gestured for her to do the same opposite him.

She sat down silently, trying desperately to remember if she had ever met Gramps before in the Silver Millennium.

"I am descended from the last Martian." He announced with gravity.

She blinked, "Your family is from Mars?"

"Indeed. For forty generations we have been guardians of your greatest treasures, waiting for your return. And now you have returned. And so has the Negaverse." He sighed.

Serena shifted uncomfortably.

He smiled at her, "Oh, I know it wasn't your fault what happened to us, dear. My ancestor was part of the Lunarian Court and he heard your plea to your mother to send aid to the other planets. I wonder what would have happened if she had listened to you? Would the kingdom of Mars have been destroyed?"

His gaze took on a faraway look.

Serena didn't know what to say to that question, so she remained silent and presently he shook himself and returned his gaze to her.

"At any rate, he went to earth and was there at the time the Negaverse attacked the Moon. Among hundreds of people that stayed silent and let the ordinary folk forget about the Silver Millennium, he returned to the Moon and plundered the Silver Palace's halls for every store of treasure he could. He hid it on Earth and told the story of the Silver Millennium to his son, and his son told it to his son and so on. Each new head of the family has taken in it upon themselves to guard the treasure and wait for your return. And you have, at last. To think that I would be the one to see it!"

He smiled somewhat tearfully.

"Forty generations..." She murmured, looking around the room. Seeing so many nostalgic things made her tear up, and he handed her a handkerchief.

"I have nothing to ask of you." He told her with a smile, "I merely wanted to show you this. And let you know that as an Ancient Martian Priest I can help you when you need it. All the items you see here can be summoned to you using different scrolls should you need them in your battles. I will give you them in a minute, but first, there is somewhere I need to take you. You will not enjoy it, I fear, but it is something you need to see."

He placed a palm down flat against the wooden floor and a strange glowing symbol formed on the floor, spreading out from the hand. There was a bright, hot lash and Serena twitched back, shutting her eyes as the light blinded her.

Then she felt it. With her eyes still shut she felt the incredible weight, the _heaviness_ bear down on her. Breathing became hard. The smell of sulphur filled the air, making her gag. The ground under her shifted, it was soft, like dust. Then there was a rumble in the distance and heat washed over her.

She opened her eyes and saw exactly what she had expected to see.

The vast region called the Planes of Fire stretched before her. it had been a thousand years since she had been there. It was only a tiny, tiny part of the Negaverse and yet it stretched as far as she could see and beyond.

"An entrance to the Negaverse." She murmured, and turned to him in amazement, "you created one?"

He nodded, "I spoke to the fire earlier. It told me you needed to come here, but you couldn't do it on your own."

She nodded, "Correct, I couldn't have performed a spell of that magnitude." She told him honestly, eyes scanning the horizon. "Not without a certain crystal, anyway." She glanced back, "How did you do it?"

He looked sheepish and held up a small gold bracelet that had the Mars symbol etched on it. Serena recognised it,

"That's a Mars Heirloom, you know."

He nodded and she chuckled at his discomfort, "Don't worry, Raye always hated it. She said she was more of a silver person. Speaking of Raye, noticed anything different about her lately?"

He chuckled, "Besides the fact that she's a Sailor Scout? Of Mars, no less?"

"Just making sure you knew, Gramps. By the way, I don't want her to know who I am. You haven't mentioned me, have you?"

"No, I haven't, child, but why wouldn't you want her to know?"

"I have my reasons. Mostly, I'm just being selfish, I guess. Being Serena has a lot less pressure than being Serenity. I like a break every now and then. So, why did you bring me here?"

"The fire said you needed to feel this. This terrible power in the air that makes it so heavy. It wasn't here last time you were here was it?"

She shook her head, "No, but it's been a thousand years or more. I'm not surprised the place has deteriorated a bit."

He shot her a look that told her to stop being flippant and she sighed. "You're right. This tells me exactly how close Metallia is to being released and unleashing her darkness."

She turned back to the view.

Inside, Serena was starting to panic. It seemed to her as if the whole world had started to reel faster and faster. She hadn't told Endymion yet. She had two rainbow crystals already. She kept dying and coming back. The Negaverse was much, much stronger than she thought, she could _feel_ it in the air here – the dark powers were awakening. Metallia was dangerously close to returning. Almost all the scouts had gathered, but they hadn't remembered! She couldn't help them until she retrieved the Remembrance Rainbow Crystal. She had no idea where Artemis was, let alone Mina. She didn't know for sure if she could heal the Four Generals. And yet everywhere she went, people were saying things like, 'don't worry, it will all be alright once Serenity returns to us!' How much pressure could she take before she went completely insane? What the hell was she, some sort of good luck charm?

That seemed to be what everyone thought of her, anyway. Why wasn't she allowed to be a normal, scared little girl anymore? And she was scared. So, so scared. She trembled in the night, she found her dreams haunted with nightmares that continued into her waking hours.

And now, on top of everything else, she had been bought to the Negaverse. What the hell for?

Scratch that. She wasn't _starting to panic._ She _was panicking._

She took several deep calming breaths, but only ended up gagging on the disgustingly heavy atmosphere.

"It's no wonder they want out if this is how they live." She muttered, thinking of all the monsters she had fought so far, and how the Negaverse wanted Earth.

"The fire said something about healing." Raye's Grandfather interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at him in surprise, "Healing in relation to what, exactly?"

He shrugged, "I don't know for sure."

"But you can guess."

He sighed, "I think it meant healing in relation to you."

"In that I can heal or that I need healing?"

"Both, I think."

She sighed, "Great. That's not much help, old man."

The view shimmered and she was back in the little hut on the Shrine grounds, sitting across from a tired old man.

"Don't call me old. Show your elders some respect! " He glowered fiercely at her and she winced, "besides, technically you're over a thousand years of age, shouldn't you be the one who is called 'old'?"

"Ah, but if that's the case, old man, then you have to be respectful to me. Respect your elders and all that."

* * *

She ran into Darien on the way home.

Literally.

"OOF!" she landed on her rear, as usual, seeing stars. Darien staggered a little but remained on his feet.

She stayed where she was and for a second considered being the princess she was and apologising first, but then the Serena part of her got hold of her tongue again.

"There you were yesterday, worrying about _me _collapsing out in the big bad world, and then you go and do you your damndest to knock me flying. Is this a conspiracy among doctors to get me back into the hospital? It is, isn't it?"

Darien shook his head to clear the stars in front of his eyes and looked down at her without commenting for a moment. She seemed fine, there was an angry flush in her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling with ire.

"Sorry." He muttered and pulled her to her feet before she could protest.

Then he walked around her and continued on his way.

"What the hell? No verbal sparring today?" she called to his retreating back.

"No." He murmured, "Not today. I don't have the energy to deal with you."

And he kept walking. Serena watched him for a second, puzzled and then with a small muttering of ancient Lunarian and a flick of her wrist she cast the spell that would allow her to see a person's energy level. Once upon a time she had been able to do it without spells, but things had changed and now a spell was needed.

She focused on Darien and felt he heart stop. His energy levels were low. So low that he was in imminent danger.

Even as she banished the spell and ran after him, she realised what had happened. Like her old transformation, he had been relying only on his own strength and energy to transform and fight, and while he didn't use power attacks like she did, his increased speed, agility and defence came from the energy he poured into his system during battle.

She knew she could help him.

But how to tell him...?

She caught up as he entered his building and followed him in. He didn't notice.

She waited until he was in the lift before stepping in beside him. He started and stared at her as the lift doors binged and shut. To her intense relief they were the only two in the elevator.

"Serena, what are you doing here?"

"You've been feeling more hungry than usual lately." She began in a flat tone, making him start. She kept her eyes facing forward, looking at the numbers on the lift buttons.

"What?"

"No matter how much or what you eat you don't gain weight, and your appetite is never sated."

"How do you-?"

"You're also struggling to stay awake during the day. You're going to bed earlier, but you just wake up as tired as before."

The doors opened, and she stepped out and turned to wait for him. Numbly, he followed her, dark eyes full of questions.

"Serena, wha-?"

She gestured for him to lead the way down the hall, and he stopped speaking in favour of walking.

"All the injuries you've received aren't healing. Aches and pains that you shouldn't have are wearing at your patience." She said flatly.

"Do you-?" he began, but she interrupted him again. Sighing in irritation over her, he unlocked the door of his apartment and stepped in, holding it open for her.

"You feel as if you've been drained of your energy." She told him as she stepped inside, ignoring his sigh.

"Are you going to tell me how you know this?" Darien asked over his shoulder as he went straight to the kitchen and put the coffee machine on.

Serena moved to the door of the kitchen and watched him set the machine up.

"Yes. When you have sat down."

"I need a coffee."

"If you want to wait, then that's fine. May I sit?"

"Go ahead."

Ok, so he was being deliberately carefree, hoping to annoy her. He couldn't help it. Part of him just wanted to be immature when she was around. The other part wanted to kiss her. So he acted immature. It had fewer repercussions than his other option.

He made himself a coffee, deliberately not asking her if she wanted one. She was an uninvited guest, after all.

She was sitting on his couch when he entered, legs crossed at the ankles and her hands folded elegantly in her lap. The pose reminded him of something and he took a moment to try and figure out what that was as he sat down. A picture he had seen somewhere, maybe?

Then, as he took a sip, he remembered. A portrait of a woman from the eighteenth century he had seen in the National Gallery. That composed stillness and poised elegance. They were the same.

Serena watched him for a second and he became lost in those eyes for several seconds. God she was beautiful.

Then she cocked her head to one side, her eyes turning inquisitive.

"You are making me talk first? Petty of you. But I suppose I do deserve such a revenge."

Wait a sec. When had her voice changed? Why was she speaking so formally?

She sighed when he didn't say anything.

"If you continue the way you have been you won't be as lucky as I was." She said and for the first time there was a hint of something else in her voice.

Anger? Directed at him? Why?

"The power you use when you fight monsters. It comes directly from within you, not some magical object like the Sailor Scouts. You are using your own energy, your own life force. And we both know what happens if you use too much of it, don't we?"

He stared at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "How did you know...?"

She grinned, a strange gleeful light in her eyes, "Never you mind that. The question is what are we going to do about Tuxedo Mask being on the verge of collapse?"

He blinked at her. "Is there anything I can do about it? Except for stop fighting?"

"Luckily for you, there is. I have just come into possession of a rather interesting."

She held up a small rectangular, green gem. He peered at it.

"This is the Rainbow Crystal of Creation." She said calmly, and handed it to him.

He held the small gem in his hand and tilted it this way and that. He could feel something in it. Something powerful. Not the dark power of the monsters he fought, nor the determined, ancient power of the scouts. No, this little crystal was new, and young. A child, it seemed to him, in comparison to the other powers he was surrounded with.

"You can feel it, can you not?" Serena asked. He looked up and found her smiling proudly at him, "I thought you would be able to. It feels new and youthful doesn't it?"

"Yes," he murmured, "Yes it does. I don't understand. How did you get a Rainbow Crystal?"

"I defeated the monster that had it inside them of course." She sounded so sure, so matter of fact that it took a second for that to sink in.

"Pardon?"

She was grinning openly now.

"Come on, Endymion! You're smarter than that! You can figure it out."

Only one person called him Endymion, not 'Your Majesty' or 'Prince Endymion'.

He looked up and met her twinkling eyes, feeling himself start to smile.

"Well, well." He said, "Sailor Moon!"

**

* * *

AN: There you go. Next chapter, Darien gets his own brand of power. And we meet another General. Which one? Wait and find out! Only a couple more chapters until the final showdown with Beryl! BA BA BA BAAAUUM!**

**Don't forget to check out my live journal for updates. **

**And for those of you wondering, this story will continue through the Anne and Allan arc until the end of the Dark Moon family arc in season 2 of the anime. **

**Anon Reviewers; **

**Linds: Thanks for your review as always! Hope to see you next chapter, should be up next Sunday. **

**Mew Moon: Sorry, I'm not very clear. I hope to update every Sunday. Thats Sunday for me, AEST. So next chapter will be up on the 20****th**** of June. See you then! **


	8. Violet and Violence

**AN: Hey guys I had several comments on how last chapter was a little confusing, so what I'm going to do is go back and rewrite parts of it and update it during the week. I did feel that last chapter wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be so I'm glad you guys made me think about redoing it. It was just plain laziness on my part that made me write it that way to begin with. So by the time you read this I will have updated last chapter, and you should probably go back and read it before reading this one. I hope that makes sense. I hope IT makes more sense now! ^_-**

**On we go... Violet and Violence... **

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* * *

**

He was smiling. Serena thought that was a good thing. He obviously wasn't angry.

"How long have you known who I was?" he asked with a chuckle, leaning back comfortable in his chair.

Serena rose an eyebrow wryly, "Would you believe me if I said the moment you entered after I woke up from my coma?"

"Seriously?"

"Yep. See, I wasn't in a coma. I was off on a... well I guess you could call it a metaphysical journey. I visited a place where people like me go when we die."

"People like you?"

"Lunarians."

"Luna what now?"

"Lunarians. People from the Moon. You really don't remember much, do you?"

He shook his head, "Only snippets. Bits and pieces. Nothing about Serenity."

She shifted uncomfortably and it was his turn to cock his head to one side, "You get uncomfortable whenever anyone mentions Serenity. Why is that?"

Serena blinked at him, "You have been paying waaay to much attention. I thought I was hiding it rather well."

He smiled and shook his head, "Not to me, you weren't."

She sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together. He frowned, she was really worried about something; her hands were shaking.

"Do you remember at the ball, when we were dancing, and you said every time you think of Serenity, you ended up thinking of me?"

He smiled at her and it took her breath away and she struggled to think coherently for a second.

"How could I forget?" he asked quietly.

She shot him a smile that warmed him inside out before taking a deep breath and focusing on her hands again.

"I tried to tell you then, but we were interrupted. There is a reason you feel that way. Part of you recognises me wherever I am, in whatever form I'm in."

There was silence for a full minute and then he said quietly, "What are you saying?"

"The reason you feel that way about me, is because Serenity and I... we're the same person."

She kept her eyes on her clasped hands, feeling her cheeks heating up.

Darien stared at her, "There was never meant to be a Sailor Scout of the Moon..." He seemed far away, and was repeating things he'd heard the Scouts talking about.

She shook her head, now watching his expression carefully, "No, I needed to fight, to save Molly, and so I created a Sailor Scout version of myself."

"_You've_ been fighting all this time?" he asked, eyes snapping back to her, "Protecting _us_? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

She shrugged uncomfortably, "I couldn't just let you all fight on your own. Especially once I knew who you were. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, I really am, it's just that I-"

She was silenced by a single finger pressing against her lips. She blinked in surprise, she hadn't seen or heard him move, but here he was, kneeling on the floor in front of her, holding a finger to her lips and smiling gently.

"Serena, Sailor Moon and Serenity in one. I must be the luckiest guy in the world."

And then he kissed her.

* * *

_Many, man miles away..._

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Artemis?"

"Mina, I'm absolutely sure. It's time we joined them."

Mina fingered her necklace worriedly, "But how can I convince them to trust me? I have so much to tell them but if they haven't remembered... then they won't know me from a bag of salt."

Artemis stood up and stretched his arms above his head. Mina frowned at him. She still wasn't used to this human version of him.

"Mina, we need to move now. The Rainbow Crystals have appeared, and we need to join the Scouts before Sailor Moon does some damage."

Mina sighed, "You really don't trust her?"

Artemis frowned at her, "Mina, until we know where she comes from we can't be sure that we can trust her. I don't like the fact that she is calling herself leader. That troubles me deeply. In that position she could lead the scouts into trouble."

Mina glanced at the scrap book she had been keeping. On the page that lay open a photo taken of Sailor Moon holding a child was pasted onto the white paper. The scout was smiling and holding the child so gently...

"I don't think," She said quietly, "That anyone who can take care of children like that could be evil."

"I'm not saying she's evil, Mina." Artemis scolded, "Just that her influence over the scouts is worrisome. Since we haven't found Luna, nor heard from her, we can assume that the Sailors in Japan are alone and unguided." As always there was a deep sadness in his manner as he spoke of his soul mate. Mina felt the same way. Her dreams about Malachite where occurring more and more often, now, and were more and more painful as time went by.

She stood, grabbed the scrapbook and threw it into her suitcase.

"Let's go then, Oh Lunar Agent. Time to catch a plane. Got your passport?"

Artemis held up his little black passport, "I must say I won't be sad to say goodbye to America."

Minako Aino, also known as Sailor V, grinned at him, "I'm looking forward to going home."

* * *

"You look happy."

Serena looked up as Luna leapt in through her open window. She smiled at the cat, "Oh, I'm extremely happy."

"Anything in particular that you're happy about?"

"Oh, lots of things. Nothing you really need to know about." What was she going to say? I'm in love with Endymion? That would be like writing 'Hi, I'm Serenity' on her forehead. It wasn't time, not yet, to reveal who she was. They weren't strong enough yet. They still needed her too much.

"Really." Luna's warning tone made Serena sigh. She turned in her chair to look at the cat, who was now sitting on her bed.

"Ok, ask away. I'll tell you everything I can, Luna, I promise."

Luna was silent, apparently debating what to ask first.

"What happened when you went into the coma?"

Serena leaned back in the chair. An easy one to begin with, at least.

"I don't know the specifics, but I stopped battling too late. My body shut down, and it was only through the intervention of Queen Selenity that I survived."

Luna's ears went back, "Pardon?"

"I know, I know. Strange, huh? She's dead, in a kind of heaven dimension or something, we didn't go into it. When I died she called me to her. She can watch us from there, and she helped me out. The long and the short of it is she gave me enough energy to come back, as well as a new sceptre. The new sceptre will allow me to transform. When Serenity returns I can give it to her, it's an heirloom."

"And the Mercury computer?"

"Same thing, she thought Mercury might like it. She also had advice about the Rainbow Crystals."

"Which was?"

"Don't let the Negaverse have them."

Luna sighed, "Alright then. What about how you know all the details of the lives of the Sailor Scouts from the Silver Millennium?"

Serena sighed, "I've already told you, I was there, I-"

"Are you a Lunar Agent?"

Serena paused, and Luna watched her eyes take on a faraway look.

"That," said the girl softly, "Is a term I haven't heard in a long time. Yes, Luna, I was a Lunar Agent. Number One, as a matter of fact."

"There wasn't a number one."

"Yes there was. Me."

"But if that is so why didn't Selenity tell me about you?"

"I was a secret, Luna, my job wasn't just to keep tabs on the kingdom, but keep tabs on the court and the Scouts. I was a safeguard, in case for some reason you and Artemis couldn't fulfil your duties I was to take over."

Luna didn't seem too pleased to learn if this, so Serena hastened to add, "She trusted you and Artemis implicitly, Luna. It was tradition to have a silent Lunar Agent at court. That's all."

Luna seemed appeased by this, and Serena felt a pang of pain, she missed the old Luna. The one she could tell everything to.

"I captured the Creation Rainbow Crystal. The green one. " She blurted.

Luna's ears pricked at that, "You did?"

"Yes. I've used it already. Tuxedo Mask was in dire straits too. Like me, he was relying only on his own energy. So I created a new cane for him, it's now his transforming tool."

Luna stared at the girl, astonished. Again and again the girl amazed her. Here she was, casually mentioning that she had created a magical item powerful enough to transform Endymion into his current battle form.

And the phenomenal growth in her powers... astonishing. She had been powerful to begin with, but now...

"Why are you more powerful than the original Sailor Scouts?" she asked the question as it entered her head.

Serena pursed her lips. "There are a few answers to that. I guess the best answer is my heritage. My mother was a very, very powerful individual, blessed with magical and psychic powers. My father... well, I never really knew him, but he was powerful too, magically, that is."

Luna accepted that, and was silent for some time.

"Serena... I know I haven't trusted you, and I'm sorry."

Serena smiled at her, "its fine, Luna. Really. It's not like I have really encouraged your trust, is it? I keep things close to my chest. I can promise you that you will understand, and soon." Serena stood to go, and stopped and turned back, "I'm going to find Amy and Raye since I think some normal down time would be good for them. Do you want to come?"

Luna shook her head and stretched out in the afternoon sun on Serena's bed, "No, I'll stay here. Let me know if anything happens."

"Always."

* * *

Amy walked quietly up the street, her mind whirring. She had just spent the afternoon at cram school, and exams were coming up.

But she really didn't care.

For the longest time she had focused on her studies because she had nothing else to focus on. Her father, always the one she spent time with, was dead, and her mother worked all sorts of odd hours at the hospital. She had had no friends to spend time with, and so she had studied. Keeping busy kept the heartache away.

Now there was a different type of heartache to deal with. One that no amount of studying could dispel or distract from.

Zoisite.

The name rang through her, making her miss a step and stumble a little. Just his name could make her crazy. She frowned and continued walking.

She hadn't seen him since the day he had killed her.

Another whole heartache right there.

He hadn't been himself, of course. None of the Generals had, and they still weren't. But at least they had seen Nephrite and Jadeite. They knew that they were alive. Neither of the two they had met had mentioned Zoisite, though they had reacted when Sailor Moon mentioned the four of them, so she had hope that he was still alive.

But she truly couldn't see how this was going to end well. Even if they found the crystals, and stopped Beryl in time, how could Zoisite, how could any of them, go back to the way things were? How could they get past what had happened? How could any of them forgive themselves?

She didn't think it was possible. She had forgiven him, of course, forgiven him before the blow fell, even. But she knew her lover. He wouldn't forgive himself. No matter what happened, he wouldn't be able to get past what he had done, to her and to his friend Endymion.

"Hey, Amy. Long face there. Everything alright?"

Amy looked up and beheld her first friend, who was looking at her worriedly.

Amy blinked, "Serena!"

Serena was more than a little surprised at the force of the hug she received, "Hey, hey, it's good to see you to. Darien said you visited a lot. Thanks for that."

Amy was embarrassed to find tears in her eyes, "I'm so glad you're ok. Mum told me of course, but seeing you up and about is a different thing."

Serena grinned at her, "Sorry about that, it was a bit of a nasty shock for all, I hear. Mum won't let me forget in a hurry at any rate."

Amy reflected that Serena seemed to be the one good thing in her life at the moment. The one normal, happy thing. Well, normal aside from unexplained comas, that is. Her mother had told her this morning that Serena had woken up and left hospital against doctor's orders.

"How are you feeling?" she asked her friend.

Serena threw back her head and shrieked in annoyance at the sky, making Amy jump about a metre.

"Sorry." Said Serena, flushing, "it's just that last time someone asked me that, I said I'd scream. I. Am. Perfectly. Fine. Thank. You. Very. Much!"

Amy laughed, "Ok, ok. Sorry. No news from the doctors?"

Serena snorted, "They couldn't tell me anything I didn't already know. They're putting it down to exhaustion. Apparently my body reset itself. Never mind the fact that I still have burn marks from where they had to paddle me back to the land of the living."

Serena was being very blasé about this, and Amy looked at her closer, looking for any sign of worry. To her surprise, Serena seemed truly unconcerned with her little episode. There was no worry in her eyes at all.

Serena glanced at her, "So, what's up? The long face and all?"

She was changing the subject deliberately, but Amy let her.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine."

Serena frowned at her reply, "Ya know, when someone says their fine, it means they're not. What's really up?"

Amy sighed, what could she say? She didn't want to lie to her friend. She thought about it for a second even as she fell into step next to her friend, "An ex, to be honest." There. Not quite a lie, but not quite the whole truth.

"Whoa! You had a boyfriend? No fair!"

Such a typical teenager response. Amy rolled her eyes, feeling every inch the thirty-ish years she truly was when you added up her two lives.

"It ended badly, but I still... I still love him as much as I ever did. I saw one of his friends the other day and it got me thinking about him. That's all."

"That's all? Amz, that sounds like pretty heavy stuff to me."

Amy shook her head, "It's alright, Rena, really. Its ancient history now. _Really._ Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure, because if you want to talk, ya know you can talk to me." Serena told her gently.

"Of course I can. So I'm going to tell you all about Raye's new boarder, his name is Chad, he plays guitar, has a mullet and is actually kind of hot."

"Hot? With a mullet?"

"I'm serious!"

"Oh, this I _have _ to see. Coming?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Raye strode down the street at a quick pace. She couldn't wait to get home and read her latest manga. She had to read it before Serena did, so she could ruin it for her. She loved seeing the look on the blonds face when Raye ruined a movie or told her the twist in the end. It was so much fun when her friend flared up, it was impossible not to antagonise her. The way her cheeks puffed out and she went red in the face made Raye laugh for ages.

She stopped to buy a drink from her favourite store, and ran up the steps to the shrine. She had been living there for five years now and the hundred or so steps up to the Shrine's main level didn't hurt her legs anymore.

After shoving open the old sliding door, Raye dropped her bag on the floor and called down the hall, "Gramps, I'm home!"

There was no reply, which was unusual. Normally he'd be waiting to hear about how her day went and to dispense some totally useless quote handed down from her ancestor's blah blah blah.

Raye wandered down the hall, sipping her coke and listening. Sometimes he had special clients who wanted him to do readings for them. But she couldn't hear the murmur of praying, or feel any kind of presence.

She pushed open the door to the Fire Room, and saw her grandfather sitting inside.

"Hey, Gramps. You're getting deaf, didn't you hear me?"

He didn't answer and something pinged within her mind, alerting her that there was something strange about this situation. She looked again.

Her grandfather was sitting very, very still. Too still.

She stepped into the room and edged around til she could see his face. And felt her eyes widen. Her grandfather's eyes were dark, like pits of shadows in his face.

"Grandpa?" her voice wobbled. "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

"Oh, look, a Shrine Maiden."

Raye spun, horror struck. She had been so focused on her grandfather she hadn't noticed the presence of someone else in the room.

The man was tall, and skinny. He had long blond hair pulled into a ponytail. His feminine features were belied by the wiry muscles evident even under his grey Negaverse uniform.

Raye recognised him. She had started to remember more and more lately, and had no trouble pulling his name into the forefront of her mind.

"Zoisite!"

He blinked at her. "Do I know you?"

Raye ignored that and planted her feet squarely, standing between him and her grandfather, "What have you done to Grandpa?"

Zoisite grinned at her, "Just collecting a crystal, ma'am."

Raye started, "Grandpa has a Rainbow Crystal?"

Zoisite glared at her, his eyes intense, "Just who are you? How do you know about the Rainbow Crystals?"

Raye merely glared at him, clenching her fists. She couldn't transform in front of him, and she couldn't leave to call the others.

Zoisite seemed in a good mood, because he continued instead of attacking her, "Your Grandpa certainly knew about them. When I appeared before him, he accused me of being a traitor to some prince fellow. Told me he wouldn't let me have his crystal." He leered at her.

Raye reeled. Her grandfather knew about the crystals? And Endymion? How? More importantly, how come she hadn't felt his evil presence before she saw him?

"I wondered why he had so many wards up around this place." Continued Zoisite, now circling her. Raye kept her eyes on him, turning to face him as he moved.

He was peering at her intently and she had the uncomfortable feeling his was looking at something that she couldn't see.

"It was to protect you. Your aura is incredibly powerful. You should have been on our radar long before this. His wards have stopped you being discovered."

"What?"

"He's been protecting you. Interesting. He must have known you were a target. Now why would be go to such lengths to protect you, hmm? Surely with an aura as powerful as yours you can take care for yourself. What secrets is he hiding?"

"How the hell should I know?" Raye snapped, clenching her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.

Zoisite shrugged, "No matter. I'll just turn him back into the Shadow Warrior he was meant to be and he can drain you before telling me his secrets."

"I won't let you do that!" Raye snapped.

"And how are you going to stop me, little human girl?"

Raye clenched her jaw and bought her hands together and began the chant to expel evil.

"Hey, Raye, are you here?" a familiar voice called from the hall and she found herself stopping.

Serena poked her head around the door, smiling and looking for her friend. Behind her, Amy froze when she saw the blond man, her eyes going impossibly wide, and her smile falling from her face. Raye felt an instant of terrible pain for her friend before remembering the situation she was in.

"Serena, Amy, lookout!" Raye shrieked, too late. She watched in horror as the blast if razor sharp wind blasted from his hand and towards her friend. Serena was already moving back behind the door, but the wall and door offered little protection as it was only paper screen. Amy wasn't so quick, still in shock, and Raye watched as Serena leaned out of what little cover she had to grab her friend. The entire wall blew outwards, taking them both with it. Raye searched the rubble with her eyes, but didn't see them under the pile of wood and paper.

"You bastard!" she shrieked, "Serena only just got out of hospital!" Somehow, that point seemed to be more important than the fact that Serena had just been thrown across the room; that she had just gotten out of hospital.

Zoisite ignored her and made a gesture towards her grandfather. Raye spun to see not her grandfather, but a strange ape-like creature with blue skin and a shot of white hair. Its eyes rolled manically and its huge canine like jaws were open, showing rows of razor sharp teeth. It let out a snarl.

Raye looked for any sign of her grandfather in those mad eyes, but found none.

Zoisite laughed. "Shadow Warrior! Attack her and drain all that lovely energy!"

The beast let out a snarl and raised a club like paw with knife like claws. Raye dived sideways, rolled to her feet and took off, leaping straight through the screen on the other side of the room. She landed on her side, and felt a burst of pain in her wrist, but was up again and running, desperately searching for somewhere to transform.

She heard the pounding behind her and knew the beast had followed. Her sixth sense flared and she ducked. The blow that could have rent her head from her shoulders missed, sailing through the air above her, she felt the wind on top of her head. Quick as lightning she changed directions, this time racing for the wooded part of the shrine, hoping to lose it in there.

She was barely a metre away from the safety of the wall of trees when a weight slammed into her back between her shoulder blades. For an instant there was nothing but rushing wind and then she landed heavily on her stomach, the weight on the creature on top o her. She felt a breath of air at the back of her neck and knew its mouth was barely an inch away.

This wasn't going to end like this. With a burst of determination she summoned her Mars Pen into her hand.

"Jupiter thunder CLAP!"

The entire area lit up brilliant white, and the weight from her back was gone. She rolled onto her side and looked in the direction of the voice.

Sailor Jupiter let out a breath of relief, "You ok? I was worried I wouldn't make it."

Raye got to her feet, looking towards the twitching form of her grandfather, "Thanks but don't hurt him again. That monster is my grandfather. He has a crystal."

Jupiter let out a soft swear word.

There was a soft thump and Sailor Mercury landed next to Jupiter, "Are you alright?"

Raye glanced around, "Yeah, but you saw him Mercury. _He's_ here."

Mercury nodded, pale faced.

Jupiter patted her shoulder, "Come on, Mercury, we're on the job."

Mercury seemed to shake herself. Relieved, Raye held up her pen, "I'll be back in a minute."

She ran deep into the little wood and transformed, and by the time she had run back to her team mates the monster that was her grandfather was up and at it again.

"Mercury, what happened to Serena?" she asked as she rejoined them.

Mercury gestured toward the road, "I got her out of here, told her Amy was already safe."

"What was she doing here?" growled Jupiter as she ducked a swing of sharp claws and sent a half-strength bolt into the ape-things stomach, knocking him back, "I thought she was on bed rest!"

"Just keep him busy until Sailor Moon gets here! Her sceptre is the only thing that will help him!" Mercury ordered, "I'm looking for Zoisite."

The ape took a swing at Mars, and she ducked away, "Wait, Mercury, I don't think that's-" she caught a swipe in the shoulder and swore, rolling away.

When she was up again, Mercury had disappeared. Mars swore.

Jupiter thundered in, aiming a powerful punch just above the monsters eye, but Mars caught her hand, "I said don't hurt him!"

Jupiter staggered back, "Mars, we need to deal with him before he tears this place to pieces! We won't kill him! But we can't just let him run around!"

The monster took his chance and leapt away to the other side of the paved area and stood there, watching them. It seemed it was trying to figure out its next move.

Mars glared at Jupiter, "I won't let you touch him! That's still my grandfather!"

Jupiter tried to think of something to say, but couldn't and so remained silent.

"Well, well. Disparity amongst the ranks of the Scouts?"

Mars spun. Zoisite stood on the other side of the courtyard, his hand on the monster's shoulder.

"Zoisite." She snapped. She had been hoping that he would disappear when the others showed up. Apparently not.

Beside her Jupiter tensed. She had only ever met Jadeite, Mars realised with a burst of horror. Before she could even open her mouth to warn her new teammate, Jupiter had taken off across the space between them, and was leaping towards Zoisite.

"NO!" Mars yelled. Too late, again.

Jupiter threw a punch at the man, but it missed. In fact, he wasn't even standing there anymore.

Jupiter blinked, and just as she began to turn her head and search for the offending man, a blast of wind screamed from behind her and sent her high into the air. To Jupiter it felt like thousands of tiny shards bit into her skin and she landed, bloody and winded, several metres from where she had been. She rolled a couple times before she could catch herself and pulled herself to her feet.

Mars looked on in horror.

Jupiter looked up, puzzled and bleeding, "Cutting wind?"

Zoisite was smug from where he was floating in the air several metres up and above the latest Shadow Warrior. "I hear you girlies were effective against Jadeite, and you even managed to injure Nephrite, but I am another level altogether than those two. Careful ladies, I might actually be able to beat you."

"Mercury Ice Bubbles! Maelstrom!"

A burst of freezing cold wind and snow pelted from nowhere into Zoisite. Mars took a deep breath, if Mercury could freeze him then-

Or not.

The pillar of ice that should have housed Zoisite was empty. Mars spun, searching wildly for him.

"Gather up." Mercury ordered, only the slightly high pitch of her voice giving way how tense she was. The three Scouts gathered into a small circle, keeping their backs pressed together and watching the area.

"This Rainbow Freak or whatever isn't moving." Jupiter said tersely, "It's like he's waiting for something."

"Don't call him that!" Mars snarled over her shoulder, "That's Grandpa!"

"Not right now he isn't!" snapped Jupiter.

"Shut up the both of you. Mars, try to sense Zoi, will you?" Mercury bit out.

"I can't. I tried already. Gramps has some sort of wards around this place that stops me sensing things somehow."

"Great."

"Aw, are the pretty ladies looking for me?"

Mars and Mercury spun, Jupiter kept her eyes on the monster. Zoisite was standing on the roof of the shrine, grinning at them, obviously enjoying himself.

"Come down and fight us already, you coward!" Mars yelled up at him.

"Don't antagonise him, Mars." Snapped Mercury, "Our priority is to-"

"I don't care! He turned my grandpa into a monster!" Mars shrieked hysterically.

Mercury let out an irritated sound, "This is the exact reason I pity Sailor Moon! How the hell does she put up with you?"

Mars knew that having Zoisite in all his evil glory nearby wasn't helping her friend's mood much, but didn't particularly care. She wanted her grandpa back.

"Well, I've never refused a lady's request before, so of course, I must comply... but first, answer me this..." he leaned forward, peering at them, "What have you done to Jadeite? He is not at all himself."

Mars and mercury shared a nonplussed look.

"Oh, don't play dumb." Zoisite growled, "You've got him asking all sorts of nasty questions, like where did we work before we worked for Beryl? We've always worked for Beryl!"

"No you haven't!" Mercury growled, "In the Silver Millennium you worked for Prince Endymion of Earth!"

Zoisite looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, "You remind me of someone..."

Mars looked from him to Mercury and back, praying seeing her would be enough for Zoisite to begin to break the terrible bonds Beryl had placed on him.

But whatever had jolted Zoisite's memory faded and his leer returned, "I think you Scouts are crafty beggars, indeed. The Silver Millennium was a time of nothing but strife for us, and certainly not a time when we worked for a prince of this little planet."

"You loved this planet!"Mercury yelled up at him her, voice going hoarse.

Zoisite waved a hand, "Now now, no need to shout. Let's get on with it shall we? I rather think I want that crystal. Shall I retrieve it from t-" he stopped as his eyes caught sight of the three figures that stood on the other side of the clearing, three figures that Jupiter was grinning at.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood on either side of Raye's grandfather, both smiling widely. Sailor Moon held up a violet crystal the shape and size of a large marble.

"Hey there, Zoisite, long time no see. How's life in Nega-Land? I bet those volcanoes are just shaking you to your bones aren't they?" Sailor Moon called in a cheerful voice.

Mars felt her knees grow weak and collapsed in relief. Sailor Moon had come in time, her grandpa was ok.

In fact, the little man was more than ok, as she soon found out,

Sailor Moon glanced down at the hunched man with a grin, "He's all yours, old man."

Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Zoisite watched in amazement as the old man pulled a small scroll from his robes. It was red, about the size of a clenched fist, and it had a Mars symbol on it.

"MARS FIRE SCROLLS!" He bellowed, and threw the scroll into the air where it separated into many tiny pieces, all of them a tiny charm, all of them slamming into Zoisite within a second.

Zoisite went completely still, only his eyes betraying his shock, and fell from where he stood on the roof to the ground.

Sailor Moon pointed her sceptre at him, "Moon Sceptre Healing!"

Last time she had used this attack there had been a gentle golden light that streamed from her sceptre and to her target. This time the light was bright, extremely so. So bright that it was seen from space, and people all around Tokyo wondered what it was. The Scouts, Tux and Gramps shut their eyes, but even that didn't help.

Then as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. Mars blinked the weeping eyes several times to clear them and felt someone brush by her.

Mercury, running to where Zoisite was lying. Everyone watched as she knelt by him.

"Zoi?"

Zoisite was lying on his back, his eyes shut. As Mercury bent over him, his eyes flickered open and he lifted his head before noticing her and freezing in place, caught by her blue eyes.

An eternity passed as the two stared at each other, and everyone held her breath, and then slowly, so slowly, Zoisite reached out one gloved hand and toucher her tear-stained cheek.

"Amy," he whispered, "You're crying."

Mercury was indeed, crying. She hiccupped a little but was unable to speak.

"Do you know who you are?" Mars stepped up, peering down at him.

He blinked up at her, "Raye, why are you asking silly questions? Of course I know who I am." He looked back at Mercury, "Amy, why are you crying?"

Mercury was smiling now, and Mars moved back a little as her friend threw her arms around the man on the ground.

Tuxedo Mask moved forwards, and both Mars and Jupiter noticed the cane he held in his hand. Unlike his old simple black and white cane, this was gold, and had an ornate handle that held a strange rose shaped green jewel. As they looked they also noticed that his outfit had changed subtly. The tuxedo was the same in its basics, but there was now gold embroidery on his mask, waistcoat and the jewel hanging from his tie seemed to be larger.

He spoke. "Zoisite."

Zoisite started, and Mercury allowed him to pull away.

"Endymion!" cried the blond general, leaping to his feet, "My apologies! I did not realise you were here-" he paused and looked around, "Ah... where exactly is here, by the way?"

Sailor Mercury got to her feet next to him and he glanced at her, "And why are the Sailors in uniform?" His eyes went from one to the other of them, and stopped on Sailor Moon, "And who are you?"

Sailor Moon smiled at him, appearing slightly tired, "My name is Sailor Moon. I am the current leader of the Sailor Scouts."

Zoisite stared; "I've never heard of you. Where is Venus? And the other Generals?"

Sailor Moon's lip twisted wryly, "I suppose I should explain, but it will ta-" she broke of suddenly, throwing herself towards him with a snarl, lifting her sceptre and swinging it in a wide arc.

Mercury grabbed Zoisite to pull him out of the way, but Sailor Moon hadn't been aiming for him, but the man that had appeared behind him.

The Moon Sceptre collided with a crystalline blade with a terrible ringing sound.

"MALACHITE!"

Moon's voice dripped with rage. Malachite, floating in the air, pushed against the sceptre with his crystal sword, his pale eyes glittering dangerously. The blade and the sceptre slid against each other with a horrible metallic screech.

"Malachite!" cried Zoisite in horror, "What are you doing? Stop! She's an ally!"

Sailor Moon slid back a few inches, and clenched her teeth, Malachite was stronger than her, this was a contest she couldn't win.

Tuxedo Mask appeared in the air behind Malachite, cape flying, eyes painful, but with his cane raised. He bought the cane down with blinding speed, but Malachite had seen Sailor Moon's eyes flicker and disappeared. Sailor Moon staggered forward, straight into the path of the cane as it swung down. Only Endymion's skill with the blade stopped him from slamming the cane into her, he changed the directions mid-swing, arcing the cane sideways, straight into where Malachite had teleported to.

The cane impacted the silver haired man on his right side, sending him flying several metres. He hit the ground, and his momentum carried him into a tumble for several seconds.

Both Tux and Moon turned to face the man, keeping Zoisite behind them.

Zoisite would have run forward but both Mars and Mercury stopped him.

"What's going on?" he cried, horrified, "Malachite, you can't attack him! That's-"

Malachite, who was now holding his side, glared at him, "You fool! They have brainwashed you!"

Zoisite seemed to realise a little of what was going on, and a look of horror overcame his features.

"They healed me!" He called to his old boss, "You are the one that is brainwashed!"

Malachite snarled and hefted his sword.

Tux glanced down at Sailor Moon, noting the slight sheen of sweat on her brow, "Can you heal him too?" he asked quietly but gently.

She shook her head, "Not without the healing or remembering crystal, even with my new wand I haven't got the power."

He heard the deep regret and guilt in her voice and so reached out and squeezed her hand.

Malachite took advantage of his inattention and hurtled forward, yelling something in the Nega Language that they were now coming to recognise.

All at once it felt like the air disappeared. Sailor Moon clutched her throat, gasping for eye and a wild glance at Endymion told her he was in the same situation. Her vision began to swim, and she collapsed to her knees as pain in her chest began to fill all her senses.

Darkness closed in.

* * *

_Time passes..._

Light returned slowly, and Mercury blinked, once, twice, and willed her eyes to focus. When they did, they showed her stone, chiselled smooth and black above her. She stared at it, puzzled. Why would she be looking at black stone?

"Ah, you're awake. About time."

Mercury started and turned her head, and realised as she did so that she was lying on a stone slab, seeing the woman that had spoken she sat up suddenly and surveyed the scene before her with a look of utter horror on her face.

Queen Beryl smiled at her, a nasty, vicious smile. "Hello, Sailor Mercury. I'm so glad you could join us."

**

* * *

AN: Hey all, I hope you enjoyed that. I know there are typos, so let me know where they are and I'll fix them. I also know it's very unpolished, so please bear with me, these few chapters are all original because I hated how I bought the final encounter around in the original version. Next chapter will be up next week, on Sunday as usual. **

**Anon reviewers... **

**Mew Moon: Thanks as always for your review! Hope this chapter answered some of your questions. As for when everyone finds out who Sailor Moon really is, not long now. **

**Linds: Thanks so much for your review, as always. Sorry, I can't really manage to update any quicker. You're all luck I got this one done in time! **

**Thanks all, see you next time! **

**Neon**


	9. Indigo and Indignance

**Hi guys, I know this is late. I'm very sorry. My grandfather had a heart attack late last week, he's fine, but for a while it was touch and go so I didn't get enough writing done. Then this week work took over a bit (yeesh, of all the times). So thanks for your patience. **

**I will try and get chapter 10 up on Sunday, but if not it will be midweek again and then we'll go back to the Sunday schedule. **

**Does that make sense? (shakes head) whatever. Read on already. **

**Oh yeah, swearing in this chapter. Must remember to check the rating...**

* * *

From last chapter:

_All at once it felt like the air disappeared. Sailor Moon clutched her throat, gasping for air and a wild glance at Endymion told her he was in the same situation. Her vision began to swim, and she collapsed to her knees as pain in her chest began to fill all her senses. _

_Darkness closed in. _

And light and air came rushing back with a deafening roar. Finding they could breathe again, everyone took a few seconds to gather their wits and refill their lungs. Tuxedo Mask was the first on his feet, and looking around he caught a glimpse of something orange in the trees as he turned to help Sailor Moon. When he turned to look again, there was nothing there.

He gently helped Sailor Moon to her feet.

She looked around wildly, "Where's Mercury?"

A few metres away, Mars looked up from where she was helping her grandfather up, and seeing no blue scout, she added in a panicked voice, "Where is Zoisite?"

Jupiter looked around too, "Shit! The white haired one is gone too!"

Tuxedo Mask felt Sailor Moon begin to tremble, "Did Malachite take them?" she whispered, horrified. He griped her shoulder, and looked around again. "He must have."

"No...Nononononononono..." she was whispering, and a look at her face told him that she was going into shock. He wrapped his arms around her, murmuring something gentle and reassuring.

"This isn't fair!" growled Jupiter, wanting to punch something, "Why Amy?"

"She was holding Zoisite... maybe she was just taken back when he was?" Jupiter suggested hopefully, "They might send her back...?"

Tuxedo Mask shook his head, "No, I think a Sailor Scout is too much of a prize to give up. We can assume we won't be seeing Sailor Mercury until we rescue her."

There was a beat of silence, and then Jupiter clenched her fists, "Let's go, already, then! We'll get her back right now!"

"Do not be so foolish." Gramps spoke for the first time, and all eyes turned to him. He glared around at them, "None of you, not even Sailor Moon, are at a level where you can even think of taking the most evil of all the dimensions. If you went as you are now you would die like dogs!"

"Grandpa...?" Mars spoke softly, but Jupiter spoke over her, "We can't just leave her there, you stupid old fart!"

"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon's voice snapped through the brittle air like ice. Looking down at her, Tuxedo Mask noticed her eyes still showed as much pain as they had, but she had pulled that indefatigable strength out again. He stepped back to give her room and she flashed him a thankful smile before turning cold eyes on Jupiter.

"You will speak to the Last Martian with respect, and give him the honour he deserves!" Sailor Moon growled.

"Last Martian...?" Gramps seemed to think about the title, and then he grinned, "I quite like that, thank you Sailor Moon."

"Pfft." Sailor Moon snorted at him before turning to the thunder scout, "Jupiter, Mars, he's right. We aren't powerful enough to save her."

"That's bullshit!" snarled Jupiter, "She will be waiting for us to save her!"

"Jupiter! Think about it! If we go in after her now, we die, and Earth gets taken by the Negaverse and _millions die_."

"Are you telling me to put the life of one friend below the lives of the people of earth?" Shrieked Jupiter, her eyes wild, "Because it sounds to me like you are, and it seems to me that THAT SOUNDS LIKE A FUCKING STUPID IDEA!"

Moon stared at her, eyes pained but jaw set. "That's enough, Sailor Jupiter. I didn't say we wouldn't go rescue her. I said not now." She looked around at all of them, "from tomorrow we are going into intensive training. I want us all here by sundown. We will rescue out friend. But it will take some time before we are ready."

There was silence. Jupiter still looked mutinous, but Mars seemed to have accepted that idea.

Sailor Moon looked across at the old man, "So, Last Martian, I'm sure your granddaughter wants an explanation."

"Oh, I do like that title, thankyou Sailor Moon."

"Don't thank me; just do the explaining you need to before Mars burns me."

Indeed, Mars suddenly seemed to be glaring at Sailor Moon just a little bit more than usual.

"Raye, leave her alone." The old man sighed, "I would have thought that after having a rainbow crystal ripped out of me I would have got a little sympathy from you..." he turned away and made a noise that was suspiciously like a sob, making Raye panic and try to reassure him.

Sailor Moon watched this, amused for a second before realising what he had said, "Hey! I did not rip it out of you! I was very gentle!"

She was ignored.

Gramps, apparently over his little outburst, sat himself down on the veranda that ran around the Shrine building and gestured for them all to do the same. Sailor Moon declined, "Sorry, old man, I've heard it before and I can't hang around."

Tuxedo Mask didn't sit down either, "I have to be at work in a little while, I have to go. I know the story anyway, Sailor Moon filled me in."

They both disappeared and Mars turned to her grandfather, "How the hell do they know about all this before me?"

Her grandfather sighed, "Raye, I never told you why we practice slightly differently here, did i?"

Mars blinked, "No, I just assumed it was a family tradition here..."

He smiled, "Oh, it is, but you see, the family... our family, we didn't originate on earth."

They listened in silence as he explained about the Martian that had escaped, how he had stockpiled the treasure of the Silver Millennium, how their ancestors had passed the heritage down, one by one until the present time. Jupiter and Mars listened in astonishment as he explained about the hidden trove on shrine grounds, and how he had realised that Raye was a Scout, and had kept a lookout for others, only to have them fall into his lap. He also apologised to them both for keeping the secret from them, and then in typical Gramps fashion, he enlisted their help to sort out the mess left in the wake of the battle.

* * *

Serena sagged in Darien's arms, sobbing. He held her tightly, stroking her hair and murmuring reassurances in her ear. They were sitting on his couch in his apartment, Serena on his lap.

"I'm supposed to be the leader! I'm supposed to protect them! What's gonna happen to her?" she had been sobbing like this for some time, and kept repeating herself hysterically. He stayed quiet and gentle, waiting for the crying to pass.

At last, she hiccupped and stopped, staring at nothing silently. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away her tears tenderly. Then he kissed her forehead, "Serena, it's not your fault, darling. It's not even Malachite's fault. It's Beryl, and it always has been." He pulled back and looked into her eyes, "I don't know what's going to happen to Amy, but I know we will get her back. We _will. _We'll all train really hard, get stronger, and then we'll go and get her, and while we're at it, we'll seal Metallia away and deal with Beryl. Once and for all. Alright?"

Her eyes wavered for a second and then the strength was back, and she nodded, "Right."

He gathered against him again, and she nestled against his shoulder comfortably.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

"What for?"

"For letting me be weak with you. I spend so much of my time being strong, I sometimes forget..."

"Forget what?"

"How to be a scared little girl, I guess." She didn't sound too pleased with her analogy, and he chuckled,

"Everyone needs someone to lean on Serena. I'm glad I'm yours."

"So am I... so am I..."

* * *

A little while later...

Serena's phone rang, and she hauled it out of her pocket and flipped it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Miss Tsukino?"

"That's me. Who's speaking please?"

"It's Arina Mizuno, Amy's mother?"

Serena felt a shaft of dread shoot through her middle. _Oh crap._

"Hi Mrs Mizuno, what can I do for you today?" she praised herself silently when her voice came out light hearted and carefree.

"I was wondering if you've seen Amy in the last day or so?"

"I saw her on her way home from cram school yesterday, we went to the Shrine, but there was a monster attack and we had to leave."

The battle at the Shrine had been widely publicised, and many different 'authorities' were calling it a decisive victory for the Sailor Scouts. If only they knew.

"Oh my goodness!" Amy's mother sounded weak, and Serena hurried to reassure her, "Oh, we both left before we got caught up in it, Mrs Mizuno! Amy was fine then, and I haven't been to school today because I'm supposed to be resting, so I haven't seen her. Has something happened?"

"I don't think she's been home. I've been on a double shift, so I don't know for sure. But she isn't answering her phone..."

The woman's voice was wobbling, and Serena felt tears form in her own eyes. From the bed Luna watched her sympathetically.

"I'll tell the guys to keep an eye out for her, Mrs Mizuno. I'm sure she's fine... maybe she just ran out of battery life on her phone? Or credit?"

"You're probably right, thankyou Serena. How are you feeling, by the way?"

Serena assured her she was fine and Luna watched as the girl hung up and swiped at her wet eyes, "Are you ok, Serena?"

"No." Serena snapped, "I'm not. I was supposed to protect them, and look at what happens! Sailor Mercury gets taken! Some friggin' leader I am."

Luna twitched her tail, but wasn't given the chance to speak. Serena sighed and bent down in front of her, "Sorry, Luna. It's not _your_ fault I suck. I'm just so frustrated! The others aren't anywhere near the level of power we need of them before we can mount a rescue attempt. There's nothing I can do except for lie to her mother. Meanwhile, who knows what's happening to her and Zoi!"

"Serena, don't talk like that." Said Luna gently, "It's not your fault."

Serena snorted, "Yeah, right." She ruffled the cats' ears. "I'm going to look for some Rainbow Crystals. See you later."

Luna watched as she pulled her mirror reflection out of the mirror again, and sighed. The girl was taking the loss of Mercury extremely hard, but then again, who wasn't?

* * *

Sailor Mercury stared in utter horror at the tableau before her.

Directly in front of her stood Queen Beryl of the Negaverse, her smile as vicious as a crocodiles. Behind her stood three men, all men she knew well. General Jadeite, General Nephrite and General Malachite... three of Endymion's legendary Generals... all of them glaring at her like she was the evil one!

She flicked her gaze to the figure lying beside her, still unconscious. Zoisite seemed fine...

"Your Majesty, will you return Zoisite to us?"

Beryl glanced at the hopeful Malachite before turning back to stare at Mercury, "No... I don't think I will. I have spent too much power returning Nephrite to you already after their brainwashing attempt. If I were to use the energy I have stockpiled to return him to us we would be setting our triumphant return to earth back by at least a week. I have waited for a thousand years for the dark crystals to recharge, and I will not wait any longer now they are so close to being ready."

Malachite seemed disheartened by that, and Mercury wondered if even with the dark magic clouding their minds and hiding their memories that they still were as close as they ever were.

Beryl finished her scrutiny of Mercury, and looked at her generals, "Perhaps, next time, I can believe you will be more competent, hmm?"

All three looked like they had been slapped.

Beryl turned back to Mercury, "Though, I will say one thing, I am thankful you have bought me a scout to look at, Malachite..."

She leaned over Mercury ominously. Mercury scooted back as far as she was able and tried to meet those hideously dark eyes.

"Tell me, Sailor Mercury, did you know that you had met Serenity?"

Mercury stared at her, open mouthed. "What are you talking about? Of course I've met Serenity, I was one of her guards!"

"I wasn't talking about the Silver millennium, dear me, I thought you were the smart one. I was talking about lately. As in, the last month or so."

Mercury could only stare at her.

Beryl continued, "Oh, yes, you see, I am extremely familiar with aura's and aura signatures. Unfortunately for her, your princess has an extremely individual signature. One that leaves a trace on all those that she meets. I became familiar with it in the Silver Millennium, sadly, and I see it on you now. It's a fairly strong trace. You must have met her several times..."

Beryl leaned over her, eyes glittering "So, tell me, Sailor Mercury, where is Princess Serenity?"

* * *

Serena wandered down the street, dark thoughts filling her mind. The worry over Amy had dulled into a constant ache instead of the panic-inducing wave that had engulfed her. She had Endymion to thank for that, of course. Her heart swelled with gratitude. Somehow, without even remembering her properly he knew exactly what she needed and when. Comfort, and then encouragement.

Damn him for being so perfect when she was so useless.

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her head to let them stew and wandered into a fashion shop, bored. _oh yay. _ She thought, twisting her lip at the racks that had once filled her with shopaholic glee now made her grimace, _the world is ending and I'm looking at jewellery. _

She walked out without buying anything and was halfway down the street and checking her phone when she noticed a small light in her bag. The sceptre was blinking. There was a Rainbow Crystal nearby.

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk she looked around. Thankfully the street was in a lull. There were exactly five people and a cat on the street. She looked from one to the other.

Old lady with purple hair? _I hope not. _

Strange old man with the unwashed hair and dirty clothes? _Please no. _

Little boy, wailing at his mother for treats? _Ugh, no thanks!_

Young mother trying to quieten her son? _Could be, I suppose. _

Little girl skipping along with her cat in her arms? _Agh, I don't know. _

Serena looked around and wondered which one it was. Really, no matter her internal preferences, it could be anyone.

Just then, the cat let out a yowl and leapt from the little girls hands and took off. the little girl made a grab for him, but ended up tripping over and falling flat on her face.

Serena headed over to help the little girl, and as she did she noticed something odd. The light on her sceptre was out.

_That fat cat was the Rainbow Crystal carrier? No freakin' way! _

She changed direction immediately, feeling a small stab of guilt over the crying girl, but really, the scraped hands would recover, the world wouldn't.

She dashed after the cat.

* * *

Luna sighed and leapt from the garden wall she had been sitting on to the pavement. She pattered silently for several minutes and was turning the corner to head towards the Shrine when-

WHAM!

Something huge, grey and furry bowled her over.

Fearing it was a dog, she immediately regained her footing and leapt to the top of a fence before looking down, her hiss dying in her throat.

It was just a cat.

A grey cat.

A fat, grey cat.

And it was now staring at her with hearts in it's eyes.

_Oh no. Nonononononono..._

* * *

Serena resisted the urge to kick something. That was the trouble with cats. They were so damn slippery!

She looked around again for good measure. Nope, no sign of the damn animal.

_Well, shit. _

She scuffed her foot in irritation and swung around irritably and ran smack-bang into another girl.

As usual she ended up on her rear on the pavement.

Instead of getting up she flopped back and stared balefully at the sunny blue sky.

"This day is not going well for me at all." she announced irritably to the sky.

"Well, mine was fine until just then!" responded a cheery voice. Serena lifted her head and peered at the girl. She was tall, blond, gorgeous and wearing an outfit that belonged on the catwalk, not the park.

_Holy shit. _

Minako Aino, also known as Sailor V stood less than a metre away, smiling amusedly at her.

But that wasn't the thing that made Serena swear mentally, no, what made her swear was the fact that she now _recognised_ Sailor Venus in Minako Aino.

_It took you long enough. Where have you been? _She grumbled internally.

But, it wasn't like she could say that now, so she merely stared for a second longer, before saying. "Holy crap, you're-"

Mina covered the girl's mouth with her hand, "Incognito."

The girl with the strange hairstyle nodded. Mina removed her hand and the girl sat up.

"I never thought I'd actually get to meet you! Oh wow, this is such an honour, I can't believe it, Sailor V in the flesh, this is so cool!" she breathed.

Mina rolled her eyes, _great, another fan girl. _

Serena snapped herself out of her fandom frenzy and stood, "I didn't know you were back in Tokyo."

Mina shrugged, "Like I said, incognito." _What, was this girl stupid? _

"Oh yeah," Serena mused, then remembered what she was supposed to be doing, "Oh, I don't suppose you've seen a fat grey cat anywhere have you? He ran away from his little girl. I'm trying to find him for her."

"A cat? A single cat, in all of Tokyo?" Mina asked incredulously.

Serena sighed, "I know, but I have to find him. It's really important."

"Well, I guess I can help, if you want me to...?"

Serena beamed at her old/new friend, "Oh, would you, thanks so much!"

They began to search.

...

...

...

...

An hour later they hadn't found the cat and Serena was ready to give up. She flopped onto a bench and tipped her head back to glare once again at the sky. The sky itself seemed to be taunting her with its cheery blue expanse. She sighed, "I guess that kitty just doesn't want to be found."

Mina threw herself down next to her with a grateful sigh. She wasn't used to spending so much time on her feet, and especially not in heels. She glanced at her new –tentative- friend. Serena was pretty, she thought, really pretty. Bordering on beautiful.

Except for the frown and the bags under her eyes.

"You seem to be worried about more than just a cat," she observed, "wanna talk about it?"

Serena huffed and waved a hand, "Eh... it's a bit complicated... but mainly... well, one of my friends was in a monster attack yesterday. She didn't make it out."

Mina felt like she had been sucker punched, "What?" she rasped.

"Oh, she's not dead!"Serena exclaimed, "Or, at least, we don't think so. The scouts told me she was taken by the monster. Taken back to wherever they come from."

"Why would a monster take a human? Don't they just drain them?" Mina shut her mouth before saying anything else. She couldn't give too much away.

Serena sighed, "Hell if I know."

Just then a sleek black cat tore past. Serena followed the cat with her eyes for a second before realising who it was. She was just sitting forward when a huge, fat grey cat bowled past, following Luna.

"Hey!" she yelled, that's the cat! Come back here you stupid cat!"

She took off after the cat, leaving Mina sitting on the bench, staring after her, bemused for a second, before calling after her, "Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

Luna sprinted down the street, sides heaving. _Why didn't I stay home today?_ She wailed inwardly. _I would have been safe from marauding toms! _

Without thinking she darted through a pair of grey clad legs and ran another few steps before glancing over her shoulder and skidding to a horror-struck stop.

She had just darted through General Malachite's legs. He was currently holding out a black crystal and muttering something in the Nega Language. The grey tom had stopped and was staring at the general with wariness.

"Run!" Luna yelled at the stupid animal, "Get out of here!"

Malachite threw a surprised glance at her over his shoulder, but concentrated on the other cat.

A writhing black shadow-like mist appeared, obscuring the grey cat from view. Luna heard him let out a yowl of pain, and backed up several metres to call the girls. She hit the button on her red collar that would alert them to the situation and to where she was. She didn't want to draw any more attention from Malachite than was necessary by talking to the scouts via the communicators.

The yowl coming from the grey cat turned into a scream, and then a horrible guttural laugh.

Luna's ears flattened to her head as the mist dissipated. Standing on two legs instead of four and standing higher than most humans, was a creature that was somehow a cross between a feline and a canine. The two legs he was now using to stand on where canine-like, but somehow his other two arms where more human shaped than any animal. He had claws that seemed to stretch forever, but that was nothing to the terrifying array of teeth in his mouth, gleaming white and as long as human fingers. His eyes where yellow and gleamed with viciousness.

"Welcome back, Shadow Fang." Said Malachite cheerily, "I have a mission for you. Get that cat."

He pointed a Luna.

Luna let out a hiss and backed up, hoping the scouts would come in time.

Just then, two blond teenage girls caused a commotion by bursting onto the scene at a fair rate of knots. Serena, leading the pair let out shriek and skidded to stop, but Mina, right behind her, crashed into her sending her sprawling, right at the new Nega-Monster. Serena let out another shriek, this one part irritation, part fear.

The Shadow Fang reacted in the normal Nega-Monster way and swung a hand lazily, claws extended. He batted Serena away with all the force of a truck hitting a wall at a hundred clicks an hour.

Mina watched in horror as her new friend flew several metres before clipping a tall garden fence and flipping over it to land out of sight on the other side. Then she slowly returned her gaze to the monster.

It was watching her with a sadistic gleam in its eye. Just as it took a step towards her, a voice spoke. A voice that she knew too well, a voice she did not want to hear. It rang through her ears and immediately her whole body felt cold.

"Shadow Fang, you have your orders. Leave the girl to me."

She hadn't noticed Malachite until he spoke. Now she transferred her gaze to the man that had once been her lover. He hadn't changed at all; he even still had that small piece of hair that would never sit right on his forehead. Without her realising it, tears formed in her eyes. _His eyes are so cold..._

Shadow Fang took three ungainly steps towards Luna, and Malachite walked slowly towards Mina.

"You seem familiar, little girl." He commented, fairly sure he had seen her somewhere before. Those eyes where not something he would forget in a hurry. Crystalline blue, like the sky, but with darker streaks that gave them a two-tone look.

Mina backed up, not paying any attention to Shadow Fang, all her focus was directed at Malachite, "We've met before. A long time ago." She told him carefully, watching for any signs of recognition.

"Oh, and where was that?" he asked pleasantly.

Mina swallowed, "On the Moon... during the time called the Silver Millennium."

Luna took a second out of her panicked backpedalling to stare in shock and recognition at the blond. _Sailor Venus!_

Malachite's easy going matter dropped, "I was never a part of the Silver Millennium." He snapped, his hand hovering dangerously close to his sword on his hip.

Mina swallowed and reached into her pocket, "Yes you were. You and I were friends. You and Endymion were friends!"

Malachite drew his sword, and the noise it made as it came out of the scabbard made Shadow Fang pause in his torment of Luna, looking back to watch the proceedings.

Mina dropped into a battle crouch, wishing for Artemis' back up.

"I am sick and tired of these lies." Malachite snarled, and dashed forward, swing his sword in a giant arc that would have taken on Mina's head if she had been Mina anymore. As it was, she had used the spilt second to transform into Sailor Venus, and was now holding her a sceptre-like object.

The sword and sceptre met with a terrible clang. Startled, Malachite leapt back immediately.

Venus frowned down at her sceptre. There was a crack in it already. It wouldn't last another blow like that. _Damn!_

She held up a hand, "Venus Evening Star Flash!"

A bright burst of light shot from her palm towards Malachite, who swung his sword at it in a useless defence. The light burned his eyes, making him stagger back.

Shadow Fang had also been watching and was now blinded. Luna took her chance and scrambled over the garden fence to Serena. The girl was lying on her side, still unconscious. There was a fair amount of blood on her shoulder, but nothing dangerous. The cat patted her charge's face gently, and the girl flinched before opening her eyes and hissing.

"Shh." Luna cautioned, "Serena, Malachite is fighting Venus!"

"Shit, Mina!" hissed Serena even as she tried to sit up, and failed. She dropped back to the lawn with a hiss. "I think I've dislocated my shoulder... where are the other scouts?"

Luna looked at her collar. Two red lights. "Not coming." She said softly, "They must be stuck at school."

Serena winced again, "Damn and blast. You're gonna have to help me with the shoulder, Luna."

"How?" hissed the cat, "I haven't got any hands!"

Just then, an explosion rocked the street. Luna didn't wait to be told, but leapt back up the fence to see what was happening.

Venus lay on her side, eyes shut, a few metres away, in a crater the size of a car. Both Malachite and Shadow Fang stood over her.

Luna darted back to Serena, "She's down, get up, get up!" she hissed desperately.

Serena winced and pulled herself to a sitting position, her good arm wrapped around her shoulder as much as she could.

Luna watched her struggle to her feet, feeling useless. She didn't have the power to change forms; she couldn't help in the battles. What use was she?

"STOP!" a male voice echoed down the street, and both Luna and Serena froze.

"Oh, who do we have here, then?" Malachite asked someone in a jovial tone.

Serena inched to the fence, found a knot hole and peeked out. Luna didn't move.

"My name is Artemis. I am the second of the Lunar Agents and in the name of the Moon I will stop you!"

Serena turned wide eyes to Luna, who seemed frozen in shock.

Out in the street, Artemis advanced on Malachite with his sword drawn. He wore his Lunar Agent outfit, dress pants, button up shirt, waistcoat and long overcoat, all white except for the gold crescent moon on the back of his jacket. His long white hair fluttered in the slight breeze and his pale eyes glared at Malachite.

"Oh, a challenger." Malachite cooed. Serena frowned at him, the man was nuts! Then again, he always had enjoyed challenge...

She watched from her spot as the battle began, and the swords clashed again and again. It seemed they were evenly matched. She'd have to get Artemis to help Endymion with his swordsmanship soon she mused with the part of her mind that was left free to ponder such things at a time like this.

"Luna, look!" she hissed, turning to the cat, only to find Luna sitting where she had been previously, head bowed and ears flat against her head.

"Luna?" she asked quietly, "What's wrong? It's Artemis out there!"

Luna looked up with tear filled eyes, "He's alive. I'm so happy... but... he's... he's..."

Serena stared at her, puzzled, "He's what?"

"He's human!" sobbed the cat, "I can't go to him like this!"

Serena stared at her, "You mean as a cat? Why not?"

"Look at me!" snapped Luna.

"I am; you're a good looking cat, Luna, what's the problem? If you don't want him to see you as a cat, just change back!"

"I can't!" Luna wailed quietly, "I'm not strong enough anymore!"

Serena stared at her. Luna and Artemis used to make a game of switching identities, so as to tease their friends. They would change forms all the time.

Then it clicked, "Oh, it's because you've been making the Scout's Transformation Wands, isn't it?" she asked, reaching out and ruffling the cats fur with her good hand.

Luna nodded miserably.

Serena listened to the sounds of the fight in the street for a second. Then she smiled, "Ok, I'll do this on one condition."

Luna's head snapped up, "What are you talking about?"

"Help me with this damn shoulder." So saying, she reached out and tapped the small crescent moon on Luna's forehead, and pulled back quickly as thousands of tiny gold lights appeared around Luna. For an instant they obscured the cat, and then they were gone. A different Luna now sat on the grass. She wore an outfit identical to Artemis; white and gold pants, dress shirt, waist coat and jacket. The only difference being that her shoes where high heeled.

Her hair was long, longer than Serena's even. It hung from two twin buns on her head, falling in gentle black waves to spread on the ground around her.

Serena grinned, "Now give me a hand with this shoulder."

Luna paused from examining her suddenly hairless body and turned her large eyes on Serena, and would have said something except she saw the pain lines on the girls face.

There was another explosion in the street, and Venus yelled Artemis' name.

_Crack._ Serena swore under her breath as Luna pushed her arms and her shoulder popped back into place, and then had to wait several seconds for the pain to subside. Then she pulled out her sceptre and transformed. Luna waited patiently, though every bone in her body told her to go to Artemis, she knew that against Malachite they had to be careful.

Out in the street, Venus watched in horror as Shadow Fang lifted a clawed hand and prepared to run the stunned Lunar Agent through.

Just as the creature was about to begin disembowelling his target, Malachite said something in the Nega Language again and the monster froze. A black hole opened in its back, and out floated an indigo crystal the shape of a square brilliant cut diamond. Malachite reached out and plucked it from mid air.

"Continue." He told Shadow Fang breezily.

Shadow Fang gave his head a shake as if to clear it, and raised his hand some more.

"NO!" shrieked Venus, and dashed forward, only to be batted aside by Malachite's sword. She got her sceptre up in time to stop the blow doing her any damage, but her progress was halted and she watched in terror as the hand raked down towards Artemis.

There was a silent explosion, knocking both Malachite and Venus back and sending Shadow Fang flying.

Luna landed, hair and jacket flying, in a crouch before slowly straightening up and glaring at both Malachite and Shadow Fang. She now stood between Artemis and their foes.

"There's another one?" Malachite demanded in irritation.

From the ground behind Luna, where he had fallen, Artemis looked up in wonder, "Luna...?" he could only see her back, but it had to be her. He felt a strange light feeling in his chest as the weight of his worry over her lifted. Then it came crashing back. No, this couldn't be his Luna...

Luna spoke, "I am Luna. I am the third of the Lunar Agents and in the name of the Moon and her Princess I will punish you!" she snapped, and flexed her arms slightly. Two short swords shot from her sleeves into her hands and she held the knives at the ready.

Shadow Fang leapt to his feet and let out a snarl.

"Ah ah ahh." Came another new voice, "No you don't, tough guy."

A burst of white-gold power slammed into the shadow warrior, and in an instant he was the tubby cat he always had been.

"Meow?"

Sailor Moon didn't break her stride, merely changed direction and now headed for Malachite.

"Hey there, Malachite. Don't suppose you want to tell me where you've put Mercury and Zoisite, do you?" she levelled her sceptre at the man, and glanced at Venus before jerking her head sideways.

Venus obeyed the gesture numbly and got out of the way. Her sceptre crumbled in her hand as she moved.

Malachite sneered, "Why would you want to know something like that, Sailor Moon? Surely you're not planning on retrieving them, are you? Because that would be suicide."

Sailor Moon grinned wickedly, "Aw, you're not worried about us, are you? How sweet!"

Malachite charged her with a roar. She sidestepped just in time and bought the sceptre down on his back as he dashed past, a glancing blow, but enough to make him stagger.

He swung round with a growl, and Venus, Luna and Artemis watched as the sword and sceptre clashed again and again, the horrible metallic noise filling the air.

"Where are they?" Sailor Moon demanded angrily as she ducked a blow that could have taken her head off.

"Locked away where you will never find them!" Malachite crowed triumphantly.

"What have you done to them?" Sailor Moon snarled, "If you've hurt them I swear I'll..."

"Oh, threats, now? Not very nice of you Sailor Moon! And just so you know, we don't even speak to them, lest they try to brainwash us. That was your plan, wasn't it? To slowly brainwash us over to your side, one by one?"

Sailor Moon rolled her eyes and bought her sceptre down in a sweeping arc, sidestepped his backhanded swing and jabbed at his stomach with a stinging spell from the sceptre, "You Generals where on our sides once, and you will return to us!"

"We serve Queen Beryl!" he snarled.

Venus flung a bolt of light at him, making him stumble and hiss, trying to clear his dazzled eyes, "Malachite, look at me!" she cried desperately from the sidelines, "You must try to remember! Don't you know my face?"

Malachite blinked at her, and stood staring for a second. Then he growled and flung a black bolt of lightning at her with an out stretched hand, "Begone, woman! Leave me to my work!"

Sailor Moon frowned even as she disengaged before blocking another blow; he wasn't attacking with all his strength or speed. What was he up to?

Then it clicked. He wasn't worried, because he already had the crystal.

She ducked a blow, and kicked off the ground hard, sailing backwards and flipping in mid air to land easily just in front of Venus.

"Give me the crystal you took from the cat." She demanded angrily, levelling her sceptre at him again.

Malachite lifted his sword into the guard position, "No, no I don't think I will." he sneered, "In fact, I think I hear Beryl calling. See you next time, stupid scouts!"

He disappeared in a swirl of dark mist, and Sailor Moon let out a shriek of rage.

Behind her, Venus and Artemis moved quickly to stand in front of Luna, facing her. Luna blinked in surprise at the hostile glares on their faces.

"You are not Luna. Who are you?" demanded Artemis, voice shaking with rage.

Sailor Moon swung round, her shock mirrored on Luna's face.

"What?" asked the ex-cat, "What do you mean; of course I'm Luna, Artemis!"

Sailor Venus readied her light attack warily, making Luna step back in horror, "The real Luna has an aura signature as big as Mt Fuji! We sense nothing from you!" she told the raven haired woman.

There was a cold laugh behind them, from Sailor Moon. Luna looked at the scout hopefully.

And then they felt it. Luna's aura seemed to just suddenly appear to their psychic senses. Where they had sensed nothing a second ago, now they sensed her easily.

"Luna!" whispered Artemis, and was engulfed in a hug.

Sailor Venus relaxed, only to tense up when she realised that Luna's aura wasn't the only one she could sense. Behind her was another aura, and if Luna's was the size of Mt Fuji, then this aura was the size of Everest.

Ignoring the two Lunar Agents (who where now doing a little more than hugging), she turned and looked at Sailor Moon, who was glowering at them balefully.

"Get over yourselves, you two." She snapped, "You haven't lived in Tokyo for years, have you Mina? What about you, Artemis? Have either of you got any idea how bad its gotten here while you were off making money in America? I had to hide us or we would have been attacked every damn day. Hiding our auras as much as I could was the only thing I could think of to keep us safe. If you two keep going around with your aura's shining like they are, you'll be attacked in no time."

Sailor Venus folded her arms, "I am a Sailor Scout, I will fight them."

Sailor Moon snorted, "Like you did today?"

The auras that they could feel disappeared, hidden again, and Artemis frowned at the blue and red scout, she hadn't used a visible spell to hide them, nor any type of magical gesture... who was this person? How did she do that?

Venus flushed, "You have no right to-"

"To what?" Sailor Moon interrupted angrily, "To lecture you? I think I have every right. We were collecting the crystals just fine until you came along. Then you appear and wham! Lost a crystal. I don't suppose you know how to repair your sceptre either?"

"Well, I..."

"I didn't think so."

Inwardly Sailor Moon was feeling as if she was trying to walk up a mudslide. Every time she felt she had regained her footing, something else knocked her for six.

"Look, you don't have to be so rude. I did the best I could." Venus said defensively.

"And what about last night? Did you do the best you could then?"

Venus went still, "How did you know I was there?"

"Endymion told me. He noticed a flash of orange. It was you, wasn't it?"

"...Yes, it was me. Wait, Endymion?"

"Did you know that we lost a Scout last night?" Sailor Moon's voice was soft, and both Venus and Artemis felt as if they were in the calm before the storm, "Sailor Mercury and the newly healed General Zoisite where taken by the Negaverse. If you had helped us out a little more instead of staying the shadows and shooting sparkle attacks, she might still be with us."

Venus swallowed, "Mercury was taken?"

"Yes, and Zoisite too." Luna cut in from where she was still engulfed in Artemis' arms. She shot a warning glance at Sailor Moon as if to say 'be nice'. Sailor Moon stared balefully at her for a second before turning to Venus again.

"What colour?" Moon asked in a clipped tone.

"I- what?" Venus asked, taken aback by the change in topic.

"What colour was the rainbow crystal that your old fiancé stole?"

Venus swallowed painfully at the reminder of Malachite's treachery, "Indigo."

Sailor Moon's whole demeanour changed. She went absolutely snow white and her eyes unfocused, seeing something only she could see before she scrunched up her face, covered her face with her hands and let out a low moan.

"Red for love, orange for vengeance... yellow was healing... I can't remember green..." muttered Artemis.

"Green is creation. Blue is remembrance... and I know violet is for protection... but I can't remember what Indigo was..." Venus continued.

"Power. Indigo was the power crystal." Sailor Moon's voice came from under her hands, and she slowly sank to sit on the gutter, "ohh... this is bad..."

Luna seemed to be feeling the same way, or at least the look on her face said so.

"I don't understand," Venus said, "Why is one rainbow crystal any different from another?"

"Don't you know anything?" Sailor Moon snapped scornfully, "Each rainbow crystal has a special ability or use. Healing. Remembering. Creation. Protection. Whatever. And now the power crystal has been taken by the one Negaverse general we can't seem to reach at all. And I just might add, because, you know, I feel it's pertinent... THAT THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

The suddenness of her outburst even had Luna starting, pulling away from Artemis.

"What is your problem?" snapped Venus, glaring at her.

Sailor Moon sighed, "I have too many to name."

Venus cracked her knuckles, and Luna stomped her foot.

"Enough. Moon, go home!"

Sailor Moon arced up immediately, "But-!"

"NOW!"

Sailor Moon pulled a face and stood to go, but stopped and glanced back over her shoulder, "I hearby renounce all claims to the leadership of the Sailor Scouts. I revoke my privileges and rights as leader, and hand the mantle to Sailor Venus, also known as Minako Aino, as it is her rightful position and title. Just so you know Venus, the Scouts and Endymion are training at Cherry Tree Hill Shrine this evening. You should go."

Then she was gone.

* * *

When Luna arrived home some time later, entering through the open window, Serena was lying face down on her bed with her pillow pulled over her head.

Feeling the bed move as the cat landed, Serena peeked out from under the pillow, "Hey, you're a cat again?"

"Artemis and I were attracting too much attention. We thought the cat form would be a good compromise. I also conserve energy better in this form."

Serena snorted, "Was it you or was it what you were doing that attracted attention? A bit of the ol' smoocheroo?"

Luna blushed through her fur, and Serena snickered before ducking under the pillow again.

Luna was silent for a time, pondering what to say.

At last, she decided to start gently.

"You did a good job."

Serena peeked out from under her pillow, "Pardon?"

"As leader." Luna elaborated, "You did a good job. Thank you."

Serena seemed surprised, "Um, well, thank you, I guess."

"I'm sorry, I know how much this duty weighs on you, Serena, but we can't let you quit yet."

Serena threw the pillow off, "What?"

"Venus is not as strong as Mars, even. She has no knowledge of where the other scouts are at with their training. She knows nothing about their strengths and weaknesses. She has no rapport with Endymion, as you so obviously do. She remembers, but that's it. We need you still."

Serena peered at her, "I never quit being a Sailor Scout Luna, just being leader. I'm not going to enjoy being bossed around by Venus, heaven knows I probably won't obey her, but I will still fight. That's me now, the Sailor Scout, not the Lunar Agent anymore..."

Luna relaxed a little, "Thankyou."

Serena shrugged, "You're welcome, I guess."

"We need you at training."

"Aw, come on, really?"

"I just gave you a list of why Venus isn't suitable, and one of the reasons, as I seem to recall, was the fact that she has no idea of the current skill and power level of her charges." Luna said archly, making Serena glower, even as the cat shooed her off the bed,

Luna continued, "And you're the only one I know who can help them."

* * *

Zoisite put an arm around Mercury's shoulders. They were in a large cell, easily big enough to hold ten people, but they were the only occupants. Three walls were solid black rock, the last wall was a grate made of some sort of black metal.

On the other side of the grate stood Beryl, Nephrite and Zoisite.

Beryl had questioned her for hours about her apparent communication with Serenity. She had only asked questions so far, she hadn't actually forced any of the answers from Mercury, she had merely accepted the answers or refusals on Mercury's part. This calm acceptance of her answers frightened Mercury more than anything else. She had expected torture, and from the look on Zoisite's face, so had he. She desperately wanted to know what the queen was thinking. She didn't seem too worried about Serenity, and that frightened Mercury too.

Beryl seemed to be tired of the interrogation. She sighed, shifted on her feet and raised a hand, "That's almost all for now, Mercury. However, if you think I am about to walk away and leave a Sailor Scout sitting in a cell in my dungeon, you are mistaken."

She added something in the Nega Language, and Mercury felt a jolt of horror as a dark mist swept from Beryl's pointed finger to engulf her. She pushed Zoisite away, fearing that whatever the queen was doing would hurt him. However when the mist cleared, Amy was unhurt.

Except for the fact that somehow, Beryl was now holding her Mercury Wand, her transformation tool. She looked down at herself, yep, jeans and a t-shirt. _Oh no._

Beryl smiled at the shock on her face, turned on her heel and stalked out of their sight, taking the wand with her. Nephrite followed without hesitation (though he did send a rather nasty glance their way) but Jadeite waited just a split second longer, just long enough for both Zoisite and Amy to look at him.

Then he winked a slow obvious wink, flashed them a cocky grin, familiar from a thousand years ago and left them.

**

* * *

AN: **

**Did I surprise you all when both Mercury and Zoisite were taken away? It seemed most people where thinking that Zoisite stayed behind, but just because I didn't mention him last time doesn't mean he wasn't there. Lol. Hope this wasn't a let down! **

**Also, thanks for your patience! I hope you like this chapter. Please tell me your opinions! Dont forget to check out my live journal account for updates, thats the quickest way to know if PP will be up on time, not to mention you get a sneak preview! Its a public journal so anyone can see it. **

**Anon Reviewers; **

**Mew Moon: I hope Luna and Artemis' meeting is up to par! **

**Gemtod32: The starlocket will make an appearance, don't worry. Hope to see you again! **

**Linds: thanks very much for the compliment! I try very hard to write the battles etc so that they don't interefere with the story telling. **

**Marchele: Thanks very much! Normally you'd only have to wait a week but hey, life overtook me this time *_* **

**Iriel: thanks very much! I was a bit worried about how to rationalise her keeping her identity secret, and that was the best reason out of a few I tossed around. **

**Hope I didn't miss anyone... hungry (trundles off for food)**

**See you soon!  
**


	10. The Arcane Artist

**AN; Hey all, sorry for the late update. Its the winter term at school here in Tasmania, and as a relief/substitute teacher I am getting a lot of work, and unfortunately the last thing I feel like doing when I get home from working with thirty or so snotty noses is writing. Sorry! Will try to do better (thinks of Yoda) No! There is no try! I WILL do better. (smiles) Read on, MacDuff! **

* * *

Sailor Mars paced angrily. The sun had just set and she and Jupiter where the only two scouts present at the Shrine. She didn't know how her home had become the official scout training centre. It wasn't like she had volunteered her home. Nor did she know where their supposed leader was. Perhaps she had been caught up in another battle...

Her musings were cut short by Jupiter's low mumble from where the tall brunette was dozing nearby.

"Chocolate muffins and coffee cream cake."

Mars stared at her, "What?"

Jupiter opened one eye, "That's what I'm craving. Chocolate muffins and coffee cream cake. And a cup of coffee. And a chocolate fudge sundae from Andrew's arcade."

Mar rolled her eyes. If there was one thing about Jupiter she remembered from the Moon was that the girl's appetite had been even more insatiable than anyone else's.

The current Jupiter shifted a little against the tree she had chosen as her prop, "I'm always so hungry lately."

"Didn't anyone explain it to you? As scouts we use a lot more energy than the normal person, and we need to eat more and more often to keep up our energy output."

Jupiter rolled her one open eye at her, "You sound just like Amy. Is that something she said?"

Mars smiled a little sheepishly and a little sadly, "Yeah, direct quote."

Jupiter nodded.

They were silent for several minutes as darkness slowly crept across the sky, both pondering the fate of the likeable bookworm.

"She was always ready with some interesting fact or encouraging comment." Jupiter commented after some time.

Mars shot her an irritated look, "Don't talk about her in the past sense."

Jupiter winced, "Sorry." She sighed, "Do you think she'll be alright?"

Mars sighed and thought over what she remembered of Beryl. "I think there's a good chance that Beryl will leave her alive simply to gloat, if nothing else. I don't know what will happen to Zoisite."

Jupiter was watching her silently, a gentle look in her eyes, "I'm glad I haven't seen Nephrite yet. Was it very terrible to see Jadeite?"

Mars frowned and thought about it. "No... No, in a way it was wonderful, because he was alive. In another way it was terrifying because he would have killed us if he had the chance, and that hurt so much..." she trailed of and looked out over the peaceful shrine, "I've been wondering, actually, if we will be able to repair the damage to our relationships. I mean, I've already forgiven Jadeite for what he did at the end of the Silver Millennium, and I forgive him for what he's doing now, but I can't help but wonder if he will be able to forgive himself when he remembers and is healed."

"Sailor Moon seems to think that it will all end happily." Jupiter murmured.

"I don't know why. She hasn't got a lover that betrayed her."

"How do you know that? We don't even know who she is. She could have been killed like us." Jupiter's voice wobbled a little as memories of her death filled her mind. She shook them off, "Anyway, how come you've managed to remember pretty much everything and I can only remember snippets? I keep having weird dreams and waking up wondering if they were dreams or memories."

"That, Jupiter, is part of the reason you need to do some training." A new voice spoke, and both Jupiter and Mars reacted in an entirely conditioned way, as they had many years ago. They snapped to their feet, and stood to attention as Sailor Venus strode up to them.

Venus smiled at them, "Hello girls. It's good to see you."

"Venus!" cried Mars, "Mina!" she hugged the leggy blond and laughed, "I'm so glad you're here! Have you taken over from Sailor Moon? Is she still fighting with us? Oh, this is great! We have so much to tell you!"

Venus hugged her friend warmly, she always had had a specially close relationship with Mars. The firebrand had been her best friend, once upon a millennium, "It's good to see you too, Raye. As for filling me in, Luna already has. And yes, Sailor Moon has handed leadership over to me."

Jupiter stepped up and pulled both the shorter women into a group hug, she might not remember much but she remembered Venus, "We're almost a full team again! This is great!"

There was a male laugh from the bushes, "Am I interrupting something?"

Prince Endymion (in Tux form) stepped from the bushes, smiling at them; "If you girls need some time alone, I can come back later?" his dark blue eyes twinkled at them.

Venus pulled away from the girls, smiling at him, "Prince Endymion, allow me to say how relieved I am to see you."

He shrugged, "Just doing my duty, Venus."

"Hey!" Mars cried, recognising the blond, "Venus! Mina! Minako Aino, Sailor V! You're Sailor V, aren't you?"

Jupiter sucked in a breath, "No way!"

Venus grinned at the boggling girls, "Yeah, that's me. Sailor V, defeater of criminals extraordinaire."

"What about me? Don't I get an introduction?"

A white cat strolled up to them, and again the scouts let out cries of happiness, "Artemis! You're here! We were getting so worried about you! Have you talked to Luna yet? Is she happy to see you?" came from two voices at once.

Artemis blushed, but smiled in a pleased manner at the girls, "Yes, I've seen Luna, and yes she's happy to see me. But I believe we were here to train, yes?"

"Oh, yeah."

Everyone looked at Venus for orders, and she felt a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach, _oh no... I don't know what to do! _

Sailor Moon landed in the centre of their little group, making Venus and Artemis start. The others, far too used to her abrupt arrivals merely blinked. Luna, riding on the girls shoulder, gave her head a shake as if to clear it and jumped off.

"Sorry I'm late, boss." Sailor Moon spoke diffidently to Venus as she dusted off her skirt, "Luna and I were preparing a training schedule for us all to use, if that's ok with you?"

Venus blinked. Where was the hostile girl from before? "That sounds fine, Sailor Moon. What did you have in mind?"

Sailor Moon nodded, "Mars needs to work on her hand to hand combat, so she can work with Jupiter as her teacher for a few nights. Then they'll swap and Mars can help Jupiter mediate, and hopefully regain her memories totally, as well as up the anti on the energy she puts into her attacks. Artemis, can you take human form without any trouble?"

In response, Artemis changed back to a human, "What did you have in mind Sailor Moon?"

"Endymion needs help with his swordsmanship. Once upon a time he could beat his generals, and we need him at that level again. He hasn't got too far to go." She shot a smile and Endymion to take the sting out of what she said, but he merely shrugged and nodded.

She turned back to Artemis, "I was hoping that you could help him with that. From what I saw today you're pretty damn good."

Artemis bowed a little at the compliment, "Of course." He looked at Endymion, "Prince, it will be my pleasure."

Endymion bowed at him, "Thank you, Artemis, I am in your debt."

"And what roles do you and I play in this training, Sailor Moon?" Venus asked, still puzzling over the change in the scout's demeanour.

"First, we need to replace that sceptre of yours that Malachite broke today, but that will be easy considering your chain of old is here in the shrine. Then you and I need to get you some more attacks, no offence meant, Venus, but your pretty sparkling star flashy thing is pretty useless unless you want to blind everyone."

Venus suppressed a pout; she knew the Moon Scout was right, but still. Ouch.

"What about you, Sailor Moon?" asked Artemis, "What will you be doing to train?"

Moon smiled, "I'll be practicing as much as I can with the Rainbow Crystals. The Negaverse got a hold of one today, so we need to know how to use the others in case it comes down to crystal versus crystal. And I'll be training with Venus so that's a good workout." Sailor Moon shot Venus a look, trying to tell her something.

Venus nodded, realising she had to take command again or lose all credibility. These people where her friends, but she couldn't be seen as weak. Not if she needed them to trust her in the heat of battle.

"Sounds good. Let's get to it." she announced.

They all split immediately into their training pairs and headed in different directions. Suddenly only Moon, Luna and Venus were left.

"Thanks for not telling them it was me who lost the crystal." Venus said quietly.

Moon shrugged, "I'm sorry I was so harsh on you earlier. You can't be expected to be at your best against Malachite, and you've really only just become a scout, haven't you? Was that your first battle against the negaverse?"

Venus flushed, "Yeah, it was."

Moon nodded, "Yeah, I thought so. You actually did pretty well. Come on; let's get that chain of yours. You might want to give Jupiter her antenna and Mars her bow, I think they're almost ready, though it would be better if Jupiter remembered fully...up to you of course."

Venus followed after her, wondering why her heart felt light at the compliment the strange girl had given her. What was it about her that made Venus want to please her?

* * *

Mars let out a shriek of irritation as she landed on her rear in the dirt. Again.

Jupiter stood above her, grinning, "Come on, Mars, get up! You're so soft! Do you work out at all?"

Mars groaned and hauled herself to her feet again, "Of course I don't! I'm not a tomboy like someone else I could mention!"

Jupiter chuckled, "Yeah, I guess the only weights you've ever lifted are shopping bags, aren't they?"

"Don't knock shopping! It can be a strenuous task!" Mars growled as she settled back into the defensive stance that Jupiter had taught her.

Jupiter rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Here I come!" she came at Mars with a barrage of punches and kicks, and it seemed to the besieged scout of fire that they came from all directions at once. When it was over, she was on her stomach in the dust. Yet again.

Lita chuckled, "Blocked three that time, you're getting better."

"Oh yay." Groaned Mars, still face down, "I'll have them write that on my tombstone when this kills me. 'She blocked three blows and may she rest in peace'."

"Now, now, up you get, still got lots to learn; even Serena could beat you at this rate."

That got Mars up and back into position, "Come on, let's go!"

Jupiter rolled her eyes again, "I should have thought of that an hour ago."

* * *

Venus swore inwardly and ducked the powerful roundhouse kick from the other scout, and came up with a punch that should have landed on Moon's nose and broke it, but instead sailed through thin air.

"Behind you!" sang a voice and she turned-too late, the world spun, there was a crack and she was on her back on the ground, winded but unhurt. She blinked up at the stars, wondering what had happened. She hadn't _seen_ her opponent move.

Sailor Moon let go of her arm and bent over her, concerned, "You alright? Want a break?"

"Negaverse doesn't give breaks." Venus grunted as she rolled to her feet before planting her feet firmly on the ground again, "Again."

Sailor Moon seemed to disappear, then reappear several metres from where she had stood. This was her favourite trick, Venus had quickly realised. Sailor Moon was physically stronger than any human, but unlike Jupiter, her strength wasn't on par with the most powerful goons the Negaverse could send, so she relied heavily on her own blinding speed. That coupled with her devastating barrage of magical attacks meant that most nega-monsters barely saw her coming.

All Venus needed to do was to _see her move._

They began again. This time Sailor Moon started with a leaping punch that would have taken a human out for good. Venus rolled sideways and Sailor Moon's fist created a small crater where she had been an instant previous. Venus used the split second it took Moon to straighten from her punch crouch to fly in with a high kick aimed at her foes chin. Sailor Moon bent over backwards to avoid the orange heel and turned the move into several backwards flips, faster than anything Venus had seen.

They eyed each other off and then Venus set her jaw and charged again.

_

* * *

Clang, clang, crash! _Endymion skidded back with the force of that blow, his left arm going numb from the impact. With an irritated grunt he swapped sword hands, tossing his sword to his left hand with ease.

Artemis eyed him, "A break, milord?"

"No, keep going. I need this."

Artemis came at him again, attacking with the old crescent moon drill before disengaging and sweeping his sword towards Endymion's previously discovered holed in defence. Endymion kept up this time, and managed to parry every thrust. The blades they were using were blunt, but still hurt like the dickens when they hit, and his left hip was still smarting from the last blow. If he could help it he wasn't going to get hit again.

"Good." Artemis stepped back, "You've fixed those holes in your technique very quickly. Let's see how you do when I speed up."

Endymion felt his mouth drop open; _the man has only been going at partial speed? Heaven help me! _

* * *

Lita rolled out of bed the next day, exhausted. Every muscle ached, even her toes seemed to be complaining about the rigorous set from the night before. But that was nothing compared to the headache she had. After their couple hours working on hand to hand combat, Raye had taken great delight in education her on all matters meditation. Meditation sucked, Lita was now certain she would never remember her past through concentration and saying a mantra over and over and over and over again. There had been other types of meditation, too Including silent standing. Standing still for hours on end, letting yourself go and trying to forget your surroundings.

It was impossible.

She grunted a little as a sore leg twinged.

_If I feel this bad I wonder how Raye is coping? _She wondered as she padded into the kitchen for her usual coffee breakfast. The coffee did wonders for her awareness and the headache, but it was only after a hot shower did she feel any relief from the aching.

She wandered to school at less than her usual break-neck speed, and bumped into a yawning Serena about half way there.

"Hi Litaaaaaaaaa." Serena shut her jaw after her talking-yawn with a snap.

Lita couldn't help but laugh, "Hey Serena, you finally joining us at school again?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah, finally. I have so much to catch up on, and I was so far behind already I didn't want to take any more time off." Her new friend pulled a face, "Not to mention I was sooo bored at home that I had to get out!"

Lita smiled, but seeing her friend had reminded her of Amy's plight. The word had gone around late last night that Amy was officially missing, and the police were investigating. Raye had been prepared to march over to the Mizuno household and explain everything, but both Moon and Mina had stopped her, explaining clearly that to involve humans in the war was a very, very bad idea.

Lita agreed, but looking at Serena, she wondered if she wasn't doing her friends an injustice by not telling them. Serena could fight; she had seen evidence of that the day they had met. And she was more resilient than most people Lita had met (she didn't know anyone else who could take being called an idiot all the time by a friend, not to mention survive a broken neck and a mystery coma). But to tell her new friend was to involve her in a war without her consent. Even just the knowledge of the identity of the Sailor Scouts was dangerous.

And yet, it hurt to have a secret this big and not share it with her friend. Even though she had only just met Serena, Lita knew she had found a friend the likes of which she would never find again.

That made it all the more important that she protect her.

So she clenched her fists and kept the conversation away from the Sailor Scouts. But she didn't finish her bento that day.

* * *

Serena stalked out of the small staff room that the police were using as an interview room in their investigation into the disappearance of Amy.

Molly, having already been through the wringer with the cops, was waiting in the hall. She waited until a group of curious students passed before joining Serena.

"How did it go?" the redhead asked as she fell into step beside her friend.

Serena snorted, "Oh the usual, 'when did you last see her?' and 'did she had a boyfriend?' and 'was she unhappy?'" she rolled her eyes, "No, officer, she was wearing a blue miniskirt and fighting evil."

"Serena!" hissed Molly, "Shhhh! You'll give it away!"

Serena glanced around, and then looked at her tiredly, "I really don't care. Amy is missing, and I don't know what's happened to her, and I went off at Mina, of all people, yesterday and I haven't apologised properly...and... and... I just want this over with!" she burst out angrily, and slammed her books into her locker as she reached it.

Molly watched her sympathetically, feeling lost. She had no way of helping her friend and hero, no way of fighting. All she could do was watch. It was frustrating, maddeningly so. To see her friend so torn up and feeling so guilty over something that really wasn't her fault and to be able to do nothing was terrible.

"I'm sorry." She said at last, as they headed to class, "I don't know what to say to help you."

Serena threw her a grateful look and slung an arm around her shoulders, "Sorry Moll. I didn't mean to dump on you. And you help by just being here so don't worry about it."

Molly didn't believe her but she didn't have a chance to grill her friend because just then they headed back into class where Serena tried desperately to understand what on earth their maths teacher was talking about.

He may as well have been talking in French for all she could tell.

_Later... _

Serena glanced over her shoulder yet again.

"He's still there." She reported to Molly, her tone filled with her amusement.

Molly groaned and glanced behind them as well.

Since the ball Melvin had been almost impossible to get rid of, and lately he had taken it into his head to follow Molly around so as to protect her from the danger she kept getting herself into.

Serena thought this was hilarious, since usually Melvin ended up on the ground in a comical heap.

However, today she wasn't so sure about how funny it was, because Melvin had dressed up this morning as Tuxedo Mask. He was following them now, flitting from light pole to shop corner, and garnering some very strange looks from passersby.

Molly was taking it badly. She kept ranting about how Melvin was making a fool of himself and embarrassing her. Serena did the supporting friend thing and agreed with her.

Secretly though, Serena was pretty sure Molly was enjoying the attention. Her friend would smile to herself whenever she saw Melvin's antics.

They headed into the arcade to avoid him, and Andrew looked up from behind the milkshake bar, "Hey Serena, Molly, got a question for you. Are you guys into that puppet show that's been a hit with the teens lately?"

They blinked at him, a little thrown by the question, "Me, not so much." Serena told him as she sat down at the bar, Molly following suit, "But Molly is into it."

Molly grinned, "I don't know why you don't like them, Serena! They're funny!"

Serena rolled her eyes and accepted the milkshake that Andrew handed her with a smile at him. He knew her too well to even ask anymore what she wanted.

"The reason I asked is because I've been given two tickets... but it's not my thing. Would you like them, Moll?" He set a chocolate milkshake in front of Molly, knowing her order of by heart as well.

Molly smiled, "Sure, I'd love them, thanks Andrew!"

Andrew happened to glance up as Melvin sidled through the door. Seeing the look on his face, both Serena and Molly glanced over their shoulders. Molly dropped her head to the counter and groaned; Serena laughed and patted her friends shoulder while explaining the situation to Andrew.

Melvin sidled a little closer, and Serena decided to have a little fun. She owed Molly a little something anyway.

"Gee," She said loudly, "It's nice of you to give Moll the tickets, Andrew, I wonder who we could get to go with her. She'll need someone strong enough to protect her from the dangers of Tokyo!"

Molly realised immediately what her friend was doing, she was too used to Serena's machinations not to. She leapt at the blond with a hiss, and Serena laughed, sliding off her stool and out of the way, and turning to Melvin, she started as if in surprise.

"Tuxedo Melvin!" she cried, "You're just the person I wanted to see! Molly needs an escort to the Great Drama Puppet Show..." she glanced at the tickets, "Tomorrow! Would you do me a favour and escort her? I need to know my _dear_ friend won't be hurt!"

Melvin's whole countenance lit up, a shocking contrast to Molly's steadily darker visage.

"Seeeereeeennnaaa!" she growled warningly.

Serena ignored her and put her hand on Melvin's shoulder with a serious expression on her face, "Melvin, promise me you'll take good care of her."

Melvin put a hand over his heart, "I will protect the fair maiden with my life! What time shall I pick you up, Molly?"

Molly stared at him, apparently torn between wanting to go to the show and wanting to rip both Serena and Melvin apart.

Andrew found something very interesting to do down the other end of the arcade. They heard his muffled laughter, however, and Serena chose that moment to slurp her whole milkshake down in one go, grab her bag and take off,

"Have fun tomorrow guys, I'll want to hear all about it!"

Her cackle faded away with her form.

* * *

Darien glanced down at the silent blond. She was sitting next to him, on his couch, supposed to be reading her class novel while he read up on an operation for the next day. Instead she was staring out his balcony window wistfully as if she wanted to be out there in the twilight of Tokyo.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently and she started, and looked at him. The sun was setting and its last golden rays made her hair shine gold in the gentle light.

"Nothing... just thinking... I told Molly about us today."

He smiled. He was glad she had a friend like Molly who could take her mind off things.

"And what did she say?" he asked.

Serena pouted...

_Flashback..._

"_WHAT?" Molly choked on her double chocolate milkshake from the school canteen before hissing, "You found him?" _

_Serena sipped her vanilla and strawberry shake and tried not to smirk. When that failed she grinned, "Yeah, it surprised me too." _

"_So, who is he?" _

_Serena's cheeks went pink, "You'll laugh." _

_Molly leaned forwards, "Serena, you just told me that Endymion is here, that you found him and you're not going to tell me who he is?" _

_Serena ducked her head, now very red. "You're gonna laugh." _

"_So?" _

_Serena sighed, fidgeted and muttered something. _

_Molly stared at her, "I'm sorry, did you just say Darien? Because I think that's what I heard..." _

_Serena nodded and Molly let out a guffaw, "Your jokin'!" _

_Serena pouted at her, and Molly couldn't help it. She started to laugh and found that she couldn't stop. _

_Serena sat silently, scowling at her mirth until she was finished, "I don't think it's that funny. Just a little ironic." _

"_Ironic?" Molly wiped her streaming eyes and giggled, "Serena, that is supreme irony! The man you kept bumping into, the man who can skate as well as you, the man who is so irritating is your soul mate! It's just too funny!" _

_Serena rolled her eyes, "We discussed it, and we think the reason we were so antagonistic is because we could sense something strange about each other- stop laughing!"_

_Molly had thunked her head down on the table and was laughing again. Serena invented a new shade of red. _

_End Flashback..._

Darien couldn't help but smile.

Serena, seeing this, felt her lips twitch upwards despite her best efforts, and then chuckled before settling against his shoulder comfortably.

"Do you think she's ok?" she asked after a time of companionable silence.

"Of course she is. Serena I know you feel like you need to protect them, but try to remember that Amy is Sailor Mercury, the last of a line of geniuses and extremely powerful mages. She's fine, and she will be until we rescue her. Now finish that chapter, we have to go to training soon."

Serena huffed a little but did as bid. Darien watched her, wondering again at their strange fate. He didn't remember what had happened to them on the Moon. He knew it was bad enough to give her nightmares, and that it filled him a sense of dread whenever he felt he might remember. He had asked her to tell him, but the look of horror on her face had made him immediately retract his request. He would wait and remember in time. For Serena to have remembered everything from the beginning and to have held it together for as long as she had was admirable, especially when some of the memories were obviously so terrible. Her strength was astonishing, actually, and he was proud of her for it. But cracks were starting to show now Mercury was taken. She had told him she hadn't been sleeping well even before Mercury's kidnapping and now he was fairly sure she wasn't sleeping at all. He felt sure he was right when he glanced at the dark bags under her eyes. There was a look there too, that hadn't been there before. When she had come to him and cried her eyes had been full of desperation and fear. Now, there was something else, and it frightened him more than ever before to see it.

Resignation.

Whatever that was coming in their lives, she was walking towards it without trying to pull away anymore. She was like a wild animal, caught and accepting the fact, and he hated to see that in her eyes. Her eyes had always been so full of emotion, but of defiance as well. Whether she was Sailor Moon or Serena, she had defied anyone and everyone and just gone and done whatever she pleased, and yet...

Yet here she was, seemingly resigned to her fate. Whatever that may be.

He pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her sweet smelling hair. She squeaked with surprise but dropped her book and slipped her arms around him too.

"What this about?" she asked quietly.

"I want you to promise me something." He murmured into her hair.

"Anything."

He pulled back and looked into her enchanting eyes, "I want you to promise me that if everything goes pear shaped and it looks like we're losing and you pull out you trump card, that you'll take me with you."

Her eyes went wide, "What? Endymion, I-"

He gripped her shoulders, "Serenity, we have to rid the universe of Beryl and Metallia. There is no other way to ensure that Earth is safe. They must be defeated. I know that, and I know that if you use the crystal to do it, you'll die." He caressed her cheek gently, "but I won't live without you. Not again. Before I met you I was like... like I was treading water. Just marking time until you barrelled into my life and suddenly I had a reason to get up in the mornings. So if you use the Silver Imperial Crystal to defeat them," she opened her mouth to protest but her shushed her, "No, don't, you know you will if you need to. If you do, I want to be standing beside you, holding that crystal too. It can kill me as well because I won't live without you. I refuse to let you go and be left behind alone. Promise me you'll wait for me before using it, and we can make our final stand together."

She stared at him, her eyes brimming with tears. Then she nodded "I promise." He could see she understood, and he reflected as he wiped her tears away with his handkerchief, that they had just made a suicide pact.

Not what he had had in mind for the day when he woke that morning.

* * *

Serena was halfway home when the sceptre's jewel began to blink. She paused and looked around; she was in a busy street in the shopping district. Everywhere she looked there were people. School children, corporate workers, street bums, you name the category and they were on the street. Clenching her fists in frustration, she reached out with her senses, trying to sense the aura of the crystal that must be nearby.

She thought she felt something, of to her left, and wandered slowly in that direction. It was only very vague, what she could feel, but it was definitely something, some warm, a gentle feeling. She looked around, and decided to try the crowded gallery nearby.

Entering the gallery, however, caused all thoughts of the rainbow crystals to fly from her head.

The walls of the gallery where filled with paintings of her home. Her old home, the Silver Palace. The artist had captured its beauty in every possible detail, and Serena felt tears come to her eyes seeing old rooms where she had spent time as a child, a thousand years ago, come to life again in front of her.

There were familiar characters in the paintings, too, sometimes just a black or white cat sunning itself in a beautiful room. Sometimes there would be a woman dressed in white. Or several younger women in different coloured dresses, at a picnic or riding horses. There were several focusing on a couple, lovers, who bore a striking resemblance to Serenity and Endymion. Most of the paintings didn't show faces, but the resemblance was uncanny.

It took several minutes for the shock to wear off enough for her to do some investigating. She grabbed a leaflet and read it through. The artist was named Lonnie Lanai. She had been painting for five years... blah, blah, blah. None of that information helped her at all. She threw the leaflet down and wandered around the gallery again, sure she had found the results of a rainbow crystal. No one should know about these rooms, or these characters, unless they had been there in the Millennium. Maybe the memories had been transferred to the crystal? Either that or she was looking for another descendant, like gramps.

A hand plucked at her sleeve and she turned to find a diminutive woman wearing a long skirt and puffy jacket standing next to her. her dark hair was tied in a messy plait, and her large eyes blinked at Serena from behind thick glasses.

"Excuse me..." she said quietly, and Serena had to lean in a little closer to hear her, "Excuse me, my name is Peggy Jones, and I am an artists... I was wondering... is it possible... for me to paint you...?"

Serena stared at her for an instant, and then, just on the off chance, she reached out with her senses again, pushing through the individual sense of every aura in the gallery to find that the woman holding her sleeve was the rainbow crystal carrier.

She smiled, "It would be my pleasure, Miss Jones. Or should I say, Miss Lonnie Lanai?"

An hour later Serena had the whole story. Her heart went out to Peggy, whose kind heart and gentle nature where obvious a mile away. Her lack of confidence in herself was saddening, especially when she painted so beautifully.

She let the girl paint her, and in return, Peggy told her 'stories' that she had made up about the characters in her paintings while she sketched. Serena listened, saddened and gladdened and a little bit baffled at the way the artist viewed what had been her everyday life. As Peggy spoke about the magical kingdom she thought she had invented, her eyes glowed and she smiled in a way that made Serena ache for her innocent days. Peggy spoke as if she truly believed that nothing could tear her princess and prince apart, not even death, as if she really believed it when she said that they would return and save the world, and they would recreate their kingdom of long ago. She spoke as if it was already happening, as if there was something about the stories that gave her hope. For the first time Serena felt that she was actually a fairy-tale princess, not a cursed warrior, and for the first time she was glad, truly glad that she had remembered.

It was about the same time that she thought of that that the windows (of which there were several in the studio) exploded inwards, showing glass over the two.

Peggy screamed and ducked, Serena threw herself across the room to grab the short woman's arm and tug her towards the exit, glancing over her shoulder in time to see Nephrite step into the large room through the shattered windows. His eyes swept over them and he waved a hand, and she felt a dreadful weight slam into her from behind and everything went black.

...

...

...

...

...

...

Hearing came back first, utter silence filling her ears for a second before she noted that there were sounds, some from far away. Screams and horns, screeching tyres, and the roar of a monster. She thought she should be worried about that but she was just too comfortable to care.

Wait a minute.

Comfortable? Yes, she was very comfortable, cradled in someone's arms, and she had what felt like a blanket wrapped around her.

She snapped her eyes open to see that it was Tuxedo Mask who was holding her, and let herself relax a little. She glanced around, it seemed he was standing in a rooftop, she could see several skyscrapers nearby, and lots of lights but no roads. All the scouts were nearby with the obvious exception of Mercury, and all of them where looking away, to her left. She turned her head and followed their gaze to see a humanoid monster that was at least three times as high as her floating several metres away. It had angelic wings and floating robes. She had no trouble recognising Peggy.

"Oh no." She breathed, and feeling her move rather than hearing her, Tux glanced down at the blond who was currently wrapped in his cape.

"Serena!" he cried, delighted to see her awake.

She blinked up at him, smiled shyly and asked to be let down.

The scouts crowded around, asking if she was ok, and she felt conflicted. On one hand, they cared about her, on the other; _they were turning their backs to a Shadow Warrior. What, did they want a knife in their backs? _

She answered their questions absently, and when she could, shot Tux a warning glance and he took her meaning immediately.

She watched him order the scouts to pay attention to their surroundings proudly, and then turned her attention to Peggy. The monster pulled a feather from her wing and used it to draw a huge snake in mid air. When it was done, the floating monster clapped her hands and Serena watched in horror as the drawing came to life, becoming a monstrous snake, coiling itself and launching an instant later, straight towards the stunned scouts.

Tux dived in and grabbed her carried her to safety when she would have merely ducked and they landed several metres above the battle between the scouts and the monstrosity that Peggy had created.

"You're not transformed," he growled, "don't take such chances!"

She winced, realising he was right, "Sorry. I had better go find somewhere to transform, and give them a hand." She kissed his cheek, just a light peck, and dashed off.

He watched her go before turning back to the battle and wishing that Nephrite had stuck around to watch- he could do with something to whack that didn't turn to ink with just one hit.

Mars ducked the snapping jaws of the snake, but missed its tail and was swept off her feet, landing hard on her tail bone, and biting her tongue as she hit.

"Mars, lookout!" yelled Jupiter, aiming a bolt of lightning at the monster, a bolt it ducked easily.

Mars rolled out of the way of the tail that had been about to crush her and sent an exceptionally hot burst of fire at its scaly hide.

The fire left no mark at all.

"DAAMN IT!" yelled Jupiter as her attack left no mark either, "There has to be away past its hide!"

The great snake spat venom at them, and the ducked, dived and rolled out of the way, leaving scorching holes in the cement of the rooftop where the venom hit and they had been previously.

Venus flung her chain in a golden lasso and shrieked her attack, "Love Chain Entrap!"

The chain wound itself around the rearing snake, and clenched tight. Venus, still holding one end, hauled with all her might, pulling backwards. The snake reared, lashing against her grip.

"Help me!" she yelled at the other two, and they dived across the battle ground to grip the chain. Their combined Sailor Might stopped the beast writing, but they were not strong enough to pull it down.

Then Tuxedo Mask threw his weight onto the chain as well and the snake let out a shriek of rage as it observed the four of them, and with one almighty tug it reared upright completely again.

It the split second before the chain was jerked from their hands, a new figure landed on it. Sailor Moon ran up the chain like she would a tightrope, charging straight for the monsters head. Then, and instant before the chain slackened as they loosed their grip lest they be pulled over the edge of the roof top, she leapt high, and landed easily on its head. For an instant, nothing happened, and then she used the large, flat head as a springboard and leapt at the Shadow Warrior that had been Peggy Jones.

The snake exploded into ink, whatever Sailor Moon had done to it in that split second had defeated it.

The warrior had not time to even pluck a feather from her wing to draw a defence, Moon was moving too fast. The scout bought her sceptre down on the Shadow Warriors shoulder, and cried out her attack, "Moon Sceptre Healing!"

A white-gold light surrounded the Shadow Warrior, and then was gone. So was the Shadow Warrior, and in her place, Peggy Jones stared at Sailor Moon in wonder, a small yellow crystal clasped in her hand.

And then horror, because she was floating in mid air, several stories above a road. She looked down at the police and ambulance vehicles with horror.

Moon didn't waste an instant, but spun in mid air, pulling Peggy with her even as they began to fall, and yelled at Venus, "CHAIN! CHAIN!"

Venus flung one end of the chain out over the street and Sailor Moon's reaching hand clasped it. Moon and Peggy swung wildly downward before crashing into a window a storey below. Sailor Moon almost lost her grip on Peggy with the impact, but clung on with gritted teeth. Peggy wrapped her arms around the chain herself.

Below them, people cheered.

**

* * *

AN: Again, sorry for the late update! I will try and update next Sunday (18****th****) Please tell me what you think of this chapter and the interactions within. Also, if you notice any mistakes, please let me know I didn't have a chance to run this by my friend who usually betas for me. **

**Sorry, no replies to reviews from last chapter, will try to reply this time! Thanks so much to my repeat reviewers and to all the kind reviewers! You guys really make my day!**


	11. Keep Holding On

**Five degrees outside at the mo. Ten in here. Celsius, that is. Cold! **

**And once again this chapter is late. VERY late. Sorry bout that. I'm going to stop giving approx dates for release times because Murphy gets in the way. (Ever heard of Murphy's Law? "Anything that can go wrong... will." **

**So here's a chapter for you! To be honest I feel like this chapter is a bit flat. Please let me know what you think. It's also not as long as some others, being only 16 pages. **

**And this chapter has a theme song... because I was listening to this as I wrote some of it.**

_You're not alone,_

_Together we stand, _

_I'll be by your side,_

_You know I'll take your hand,_

_When it gets cold _

_And it feels like the end,_

_There's no place to go,_

_You know I won't give in,_

_No I won't give in,_

_Keep Holding On_

_Cause you know we'll make it through, _

_Just stay strong._

_**Avril Lavigne, Keep Holding On**_

* * *

Sailor Moon hung on grimly to the chain as the Scouts and Tux hauled her and Peggy slowly upwards.

She glanced down over her shoulder at the crowd below, they were cheering. She grinned; it had been a while since she had had an audience, or an appreciative one at that.

Peggy clung to her, eyes shut and whimpering every now and then.

Sailor Moon looked at the little tear drop shaped crystal in her hand that she had taken from the artist not a second ago and smiled. Yellow for healing. _Goodie._

Things where looking up.

Speaking of up...

She glanced upwards with a frown. Three Sailor Scouts plus Endymion... She and Peggy should have already crested the top of the building. What was going on up there?

As if in answer to her unspoken question, a sheet of flame filled the air several stories above their heads, followed quickly by a crack of lightning.

"Aw, man!" Sailor Moon whined. She looked at Peggy, and wondered what to do. She couldn't bring the young woman up into danger! She also couldn't leave her hanging there... what the hell was she going to do?

Then she remembered a simple spell from her time on the moon.

She carefully put the crystal in her sub-space pocket and reached out with her now free hand to tap Peggy on the top of the head, and muttered the spell.

To Peggy, the ancient Lunarian spell sounded like a cross between latin, Japanese and Spanish.

When the strange word had been spoken, she felt a terribly strange feeling, like there where ants crawling under her skin and looked up at Sailor Moon in consternation. She scout smiled at her reassuringly and said as if it was the most reasonable thing in the word, "Peggy, I need you to let go."

"WHAT?"

Sailor Moon chuckled as if she was a little kid being silly, "Peggy, trust me. I've put a spell on you. You'll float safely down, just like a feather, I promise."

"Even if you say that, how can I just-?" Poor Peggy never finished her sentence, the strange gold chain she was holding jerked upwards suddenly, and she lost her grip completely and fell backwards into space.

For an instant everything was in slow motion. She saw Sailor Moon's grip on the chain falter too, and then recover.

But wait, Sailor Moon was moving at the right speed... she looked around, no, the world hadn't gone into slow motion, _she had. _

She stared about her as slowly, so slowly, she began to sink through the air, toppling slowly head over heels.

"Use your arms to stay upright, Peggy!" Sailor Moon called down to her and she began flailing her arms. It took a few seconds to get the hang of it, she wobbled, as if she was standing on a tightrope, but then she was still, floating downwards with her arms out and smiling in wonder.

Sailor Moon watched as her friend righted herself and grinned. In a few minutes Peggy would land safely on the concrete below and the spell would disappear as soon as her feet touched the ground.

Then the grin dropped as she remembered she had places to be.

She turned back to the gold chain made of interlocking heart links and beginning to climb as quickly as she could. Unfortunately even with Sailor Powered arms and legs it took her several minutes to get to the top. With a grunt she hauled herself over the lip of the building and paused, mid-stretch for a hand hold, when she saw what was happening on the roof.

In front of her, in the centre of the roof, Tuxedo Mask and Nephrite battled, sword to sword around air conditioning units and ariels.

She knew next to nothing about swords and how to use them, but she knew how quick Nephrite had been last time they had encountered him. Incredibly fast.

And somehow, her boy was keeping up. She watched in delighted astonishment as Nephrite tried his I'll-zip-around-behind-you-so-fast-you-don't-see-me move, and Tux merely hooked his cane around behind him, blocking Nephrite's blow with ease.

There was a beat of stillness as Tux glared over his shoulder at Nephrite and the general glared back.

If Sailor Moon had been a fan girl and so inclined she would have 'squeed' as they began their fight again. Tux and Nephrite seemed to dance around each other, never stopping, eyes dark with concentration. Then they'd be airborne, suddenly, as one of them used an air conditioning unit as a springboard and the other followed suit. They clashed in mid air, bounced off each other, and skidded as they landed. Then they did it again. It was beautiful to watch in a terrifying way.

Sailor Moon finished climbing over the lip of the building and stood, mesmerized by the battle.

She wasn't the only one. Venus, Mars and Jupiter where nearby, staring hard as well, held still by awe of what they were seeing. But Sailor Moon noted when she glanced their way that Venus and Mars where holding onto Jupiter's arms. Sailor Moon wondered if Jupiter wanted to run to Nephrite to punch him or kiss him.

There was a grunt, and she spun back to the battle to see Tux gripping his shoulder, blood already welling between his fingers .

She let out an involuntary cry and jerked her hand into her subspace pocket, pulling it out with the yellow crystal in it. She thrust the small crystal forwards in her palm, begging it silently to heal Endymion.

The entire area lit up yellow. The beautiful, gentle light healed everything from the slight headache she had to the deep wound in Tux's shoulder. It also caught Nephrite, and he staggered, letting out a wild cry, before disappearing in a whirl of darkness.

The light faded, and they all stood where they were.

Then Jupiter let out a small sigh. That was it. Just a small sigh that conveyed her dejection better than any screaming or words could have done.

Sailor Moon looked at her dear friend and felt tears prick behind her eyes, "Oh, Lita I'm so sorry."

Jupiter shot her a strange look, and she belatedly reminded herself she was Sailor Moon now, not Serena. Serena got to be nice, Sailor Moon didn't. She wanted to Detransform then, and show them who she really was.

But she didn't. Her reasons for keeping her identity secret at the beginning were no longer plausible since Venus was on the scene. But she had realised something else in the last few weeks that made it vital she kept her secret for as long as she could, no matter how angry and hurt they were with her when she revealed herself. Oh how she dreaded that day!

She sighed and frowned as her headache returned. _Stupid scouts. Stupid life. Stupid... stupid everything. _

"You got the crystal then?"

She turned to answer Tux's question and found all the words drying up in her mouth.

Endymion stood a few metres away, dressed in his old silver armour; it was gleaming in the twilight. His sword was at his hip and a long black cape was flowing from his shoulders. It wasn't just his clothes that had changed either, he had a regal bearing now that told all of them he was every inch the prince he claimed to be.

She had to stop herself from throwing herself into his arms as she dearly wanted to.

Instead, she merely nodded at him, eyes shining proudly, "Endymion, it seems you have remembered."

He nodded back, eyes conveying everything he wanted to say to her, "I have. The healing crystal, I assume?" he was looking at the yellow gem in her hand.

She nodded and held it out for him to see, "Yes. With this we can return the Generals to their original states, at long last."

A few feet away three scouts reacted differently to the news. Venus simply shut her eyes and breathed a thankful prayer to the heavens. Mars sat down where she was with a bump and muttered something unintelligible. Jupiter punched the air, "I remembered too! At last I feel like I know what I'm doing!"

She stopped, and thought for a second before frowning and continued, "Gee, I was so much stronger back then!"

She looked at them all, eyes fierce with determination, "Let's get back to training! I've got a boyfriend to save!"

* * *

Mercury stared balefully out the tiny window of the cell that she and Zoisite had shared for some days now.

She wasn't thinking about much of anything, because even though thinking was what she did best, she had already decided that for the moment, it was futile. Even if they could escape their cell, there was no way they could escape this dimension without aid. So she deliberately didn't think about all the ways to escape the cell, because knowing it was futile hurt.

Just like it hurt when she didn't think about what her mother must be going through.

Or her friends.

Or the _scouts. _

Had they found the princess yet? What about all the crystals? Had Sailor Venus arrived and taken over from Sailor Moon? How had Mars taken that? How had Moon taken that?

No, wait, she wasn't supposed to be thinking. She cleared her mind and went back to counting the volcanoes she could see. She had just got to fourteen when Zoisite sighed loudly from across the other side of the room.

"Waiting," he announced as she turned, "Is always the worst."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, grimaced in sympathy, but didn't reply. She didn't need to. He had made that statement at least three times already today. If she had been a less patient person she would have smacked him by now. Just like Raye.

_I wonder how Raye is going with the battles. Lita too... I hope Sailor Moon is taking good care of them... No! Stop it! Must not think! Must not think! I know the princess! Beryl said I met her... I know the princess! Argh! Stop it! _

Zoisite interrupted her internal ramblings with a wistful, "Do you think Endymion will forgive me?"

Mercury slid off the cool stone bench and moved across the small space to take a seat next to him on a bench exactly like the one she had just vacated, "Of course he will... I mean, he already has! He said as much!"

"Really?"

"Would I lie?"

"Yes."

"You're right, I guess I would, but all the same, I am not lying."

"Really truly?"

She couldn't help but smile. They had a game they used to play on the moon, basically a competition to see who could ask the same question in more ways, using different words each time.

"Honestly?" she returned, and he grinned, glad that the vacant look was gone from her face,

"Seriously?"

"Truthfully?"

And so it continued.

* * *

"Hey, Serena, right?"

Serena looked up over the top of the magazine she was reading, to see a familiar blond girl in black pumps, skinny jeans, grey shirt and white bolero knit. She was wearing dark glasses, and her hair was done in a plait and not her usual half-up half-down do, but Serena had no difficulty recognising Mina.

"Mina!" she cried, and dropped the magazine as Mina clapped a hand over her mouth,

"Shhhhh!" hissed the idol, "I'm incognito, remember?"

Serena nodded, and Mina took her hand away from her mouth before sitting down across the booth from her. They were in the arcade, and Serena was avoiding homework by reading... or she had been.

Mina looked across at her worriedly, "The other day, when we were attacked, I'm so sorry I didn't come after you when you got hit, I got so scared... I just ran. I'm so sorry!"

Serena peered at Mina in surprise. To be honest, she had forgotten that she and Mina had been together before the battle with the cat, and that as far as Mina was aware, she had been left unconscious on the wrong side of a fence. Poor Mina must feel awful, but to lie and make herself sound worse than she was?

She grinned, "Its fine, I got a bump on the head is all. When I came round, everything was quiet so I assumed the Sailor Scouts came." She leaned forward, "Did they? Did you see them?"

Mina blushed a little, "Yeah. I saw them. Well, Sailor Moon anyway."

"Just Sailor Moon? Not Sailor Venus? I heard she's just arrived and she's like, the strongest scout yet!" Serena gushed in an air headed way.

Mina scowled at a napkin on the table. "No, Sailor Moon's stronger."

"Eh?"

Mina started, realising her mistake and hurried to cover it up, "I mean; that's what I hear, anyway. Apparently, last time anyone saw them they were all taking orders from Venus, which is funny because Sailor Moon _is_ stronger."

Serena was surprised that Mina would mention that and felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't Mina's fault she was stronger; it was all to do with genetics and heritage.

"Oh, I dunno," she said airily, "I reckon that Sailor Moon's a bit of a loner... like, not a team player, you know? She appears on her own _all_ the time, like she doesn't call for backup or whatever it is they do. Venus is probably more of a team player! Oh, I hope I get to see them in action again!"

Mina raised one finely-tweezed eyebrow and changed the subject, but she seemed a little happier after that.

They wandered around the shopping district for a while together, chatting and hiding from members of paparazzi as needed.

Mina didn't understand why Serena wanted to visit the gallery, but as soon as she entered and the Venarian saw the paintings within, she didn't care about Serena's motivation any more, but wandered around, staring in wonder at the depictions of her old home.

Serena walked straight through the gallery to the door at the back. She knocked once and entered, dashing up the stairs into Peggy's studio.

The artist was delighted to see her, and engulfed her in a hug, and babbled for several minutes about the battle the night before and the amount of shows and reporters that had asked her to be interviewed and tell her story.

Then she showed Serena her new self-portrait. Not of Lonnie Lanai this time, but of Peggy Jones with her sweet, simple face and gentle smile. Serena was thrilled her friend was going to tell the world her secret, and congratulated her on the interviews and publicity.

Peggy was just telling her how her own portrait was coming when Mina peeked in. Serena introduced her two friends and Peggy immediately asked to do a portrait of Mina. Mina, not knowing that Peggy was the artist for the pieces downstairs laughingly hedged until she spied a painting across the room, half finished.

It was beautiful in a strange way. It showed two figures, both female, one in the foreground, one a reflection in the background of the foreground. The young woman in the foreground was only partly visible, her arm, shoulder, neck, cheek, one eye, and jaw line were all that was visible of her, and a halo of gold hair. She was completely fuzzy, her features obscured from them. It seemed she was moving out of the picture and away from the viewer.

In contrast, the figure in the background was completely in focus. The reflective surface was a large window or mirror, and she was sharply real and detailed. Red boots, blue skirt, blue and white collar, gold hair. It was sailor Moon, walking away from the viewer, but glancing back over her shoulder at her other self. Her eyes were sad, but her pose purposeful as she strode away.

"Wow! That is soooo cool!" Cried Mina, bounding up to the painting to have a closer look.

Peggy smiled in an embarrassed way, "It's supposed to show the two sides of Sailor Moon, one we see in the Sailor, the other the young woman she is the rest of the time, and how we haven't got a clue who she really is." She glanced at Serena meaningfully and Serena, who had been listening, swallowed.

"It feels... like the figure in the foreground is sad." Mina murmured as Serena joined them at the painting silently.

Peggy nodded, "I felt that there was something sad about her when I met her. I mean, she smiled at me and all, but she still seemed like there was something hurting her."

"You're very astute, you know, Peggy." Serena commented lightly.

Mina spied the portrait of Serena and squealed, "Ohmigod! Serena, that's awesome!"

Peggy smiled widely, she was proud of this one. in the short time since the battle she had been painting non-stop, and this was her favourite so far.

"It's Serena as the Moon Princess. I've called the painting 'Serenity'."

Mina choked on nothing, and Serena grinned widely.

"It's lovely, Peggy. Well done!"

The painting showed Serena wearing a long gleaming white gown, her hair piled on top of her head, sitting in a lovely green garden surrounded by flowers of many different varieties. Serena had a peaceful expression on her face.

It took Mina a second to recover from the name and the association so Serena busied Peggy with questions. Could she get a copy? When was she going to reveal to the world that she was Lonnie Lanai (Mina choked again when she heard this)? Did she need any other people to pose for her?

Peggy sat Mina down with a drink, and took Serena to her storeroom where she stored paintings that she didn't want to sell, or that weren't good enough to sell but not bad enough to trash.

Serena waited quietly while Peggy rifled through stacks of paintings.

"Here it is..."

Peggy pulled a painting from the stack, and Serena gulped. It was exactly the same as the one out in the studio, but where that one had had the figure in the foreground out of focus, this one showed her in sharp, realistic detail, down to the colour of her eyes. It was her, Serena, shown in the foreground.

Peggy set the painting up against the wall and stepped back to view it.

After several seconds of silence, Peggy said softly, "I won't tell anyone, and I will destroy this soon. But I wanted you to see it. Thank you, Serena."

"You must have questions."

Peggy smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm happy with my imaginings. Knowing the truth would be frightening. I'll stay ignorant, thanks... actually; I do have one question..."

"Fire away."

"Have you told the Sailor Scouts that you are the princess I heard them mention?"

Serena blinked at her and Peggy blushed, "I remember some things from when I was the monster... the scouts told that man that he would come back to them when they had the princess... they don't know the princess was there with them, do they?"

"No... no they don't..."

Peggy nodded, "Come tell me about it when it's all over."

"Of course!"

"And... and you don't need an excuse to come and see me..."

Serena hugged her, "Of course!"

Peggy set the painting back and they left the store room and the conversation behind.

* * *

The next day, four girls met at the arcade after school for a much needed afternoon of shopping. Serena introduced Mina to everyone, and watched in thinly concealed amusement as they pretended not to know each other.

And, in a sense, she reflected, they didn't. While they remembered much if not everything about their past lives, who they were now was still influenced by the present. Raye liked a different type of music now, Lita had a new favourite style of martial arts and they all had a particular dress style that was different to their old lives. An afternoon together getting to know each other's non-scout personalities would be good for them.

And it was, by the end of the day some of the care lines had eased in Raye's face, and Lita had eaten another whole bento. Serena was exhausted, she seemed to be the one who kept all the conversations going, and who made sure that everyone had a good time. But she had enjoyed herself immensely. It had reminded her of all the times on the moon when she had been so thankful to have friends like these. It reminded her why she was fighting. She would have to remember to tell them, when they found out who she was, that the times they spent together as friends and not scouts where the fuel she needed to keep fighting.

She visited Endymion after saying goodbye to the girls. He opened the door to her bell-ring and pulled her into a gentle embrace. They had managed to snag a few minutes alone during the training session after the battle the night previous, but it hadn't been enough for either of them.

He kissed her, pressing his mouth to hers in a long and hard embrace. Her knees went weak, and he held her up.

They broke apart, Serena blushing and Darien grinning.

"You're a better kisser than ever." She grumbled, pretending to pout.

Darien grinned at her, "You love it. Don't pretend you don't."

She grinned wryly at him and he went to wave her in, but paused and leaned close, peering into her eyes.

"You... you're happier..." he murmured, surprised.

She blinked at him, "You can tell?"

He smiled and tapped her on the end of her nose, making her flinch, she hated that!

"Yeah, you're eyes change colour depending on your emotions.."

"They do? Really?"

"Yeah, when you're happy or ice skating your eyes are really light, when you're sad or worried, like lately, they're a very dark blue."

She blinked several times, "I never knew that..."

He shrugged, "It makes it easier for me to tell when you're in a good mood."

She glanced sidelong at him, "What about when I'm in love?"

He laughed, "You've been in love with me since I met you, how can I tell when I haven't seen you not in love?"

She punched him playfully on the arm.

"Seriously, Serena, what happened? You really are happier?"

She shrugged, looking thoughtful. "I spent some time with the girls today, just as the girls. It was nice. I guess it reminded me why I'm doing this... not that I didn't know... Now... well, I guess it just forced it home."

He couldn't help but feel a little jealous that the girls could help her when he could not. But then, he knew better than most that girls had a special kind of friendship that boys couldn't fathom.

Still, he puzzled over it as they cooked dinner (well, he cooked; Serena provided moral support and a taster). The resignation was still there in her eyes, but determination was there again, and he rejoiced silently to see it return to her.

Later, after dinner, Serena sat down and did some homework while he studied up on yet another operation. He found it hard to concentrate, though. Just being in the same room as the blond bought back memories, some of which made him smile fondly, others made him cringe or flinch. One especially he tried to avoid. So far he had steered clear of mentioning the way they had died. But they would need to talk about it soon. He sighed.

Serena glanced up from her English homework over the top of her book, "Yes?"

He smiled easily at her, "Nothing important."

She raised one eyebrow slowly before going back to her book.

An instant later it slipped from her fingers.

Darien felt it too, the horrible sensation of the weight of the world crashing down on him, and he surged to his feet. He had transformed into Tuxedo Mask before he reached the balcony door, Sailor Moon only a step behind him. Together they leapt into the dark skies over Tokyo.

* * *

Andrew ducked shards of glass as another window exploded. Beside him his on-again off-again girlfriend Reika let out a scream of fear, and he clapped a hand over her mouth in desperation. They had been running from the monster for the last few minutes, ever since it appeared as he was locking the arcade for the evening. It, no, _he_ had come from the shadows and grabbed Reika from behind and demanded they hand over the "something something crystal". Andrew, assuming him to be a drunk had got in the way, but the silver hair had turned out to be misleading, this was no old drunk, but a young and fit... monster.

Malachite stepped through the window he had just shattered. The door his prey had used was a few metres to his right, but he barely ever used doors. Especially not when exploding glass was so much fun.

He looked around the small service station, ignoring the cowering attendant behind the counter. He knew the one with the red rainbow crystal was here. He could feel it.

_Ah_. There they were. The girl and her... what was it humans called them? Ah, yes, boyfriend. _What a strange term._

He advanced on them, and they scuttled backwards down an aisle of human goods.

He sighed, these things were so repetitive. "If you would just give me the crystal I'll be on my way."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you had better leave us alone or I'll..." Andrew trailed off, realising her really didn't know what he would do.

"Or he'll call me." A new voice, cold and quiet.

Malachite turned and felt something inside him twist. In front of him stood a tall dark man with blazing eyes and a sword in his hand. He wore ornate armour that looked light, but Malachite knew without testing it it would be durable. He wore a cape too, a black one that seemed to be made from shadows it was so light.

But his eyes. His eyes were what Malachite would remember in the days to come. They were old, much older than the man seemed, and tired, angry, grieving, mischievous and gentle all at once.

For a full second he and the man stood and stared at each other.

Then the man in the silver armour drew his sword, "Malachite." He said his voice was soft but there seemed to be power echoing through it, "Malachite, leave now. I don't want to hurt you, but if it means getting the crystal, then I will."

Malachite tried to place him. He couldn't be sure, but he was fairly certain that he had met the man before. Where and when were the questions.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Endymion. I was for many years your friend."

Malachite stared at him. The man wasn't lying. People had tells when they were lying. Their eyes twitched, or their face flushed. This man stood their staring at him earnestly.

Another figure entered the scene, unbeknownst to the stupefied general, a young woman in a red, white and blue Sailor Suit.

"You don't remember me, do you?" asked the man in the suit of armour, and Malachite answered honesty,

"No. I've never seen you before in my life."

"As I said, my name is Endymion. Prince Endymion, actually. When the Silver Millennium fell I fell too, and with me, the Kingdom of Earth. I am about to rectify that disaster, and I want you to help me."

Behind Malachite, Sailor Moon hurriedly and silently rushed Andrew and Reika out the back door.

"The Kingdom of Earth?" Malachite asked quietly, "There is no such thing!"

"Why?" asked Endymion quickly, "Because Beryl hasn't told you there is?"

Malachite opened his mouth, and then shut it again. What the strange man said was true.

"Trust me, Earth was a single kingdom once. A long time ago, yes, and the memories of humans is short. But I am the last of my line and I will rule again. As I said, I want you to help me. Zoisite has already joined my cause. Will you?"

Malachite sneered at him, regaining his composure, "So you're the one that bespelled Zoi. I shall make you pay for that. "

And, totally forgetting his original mission, he drew his sword and charged at Endymion.

* * *

Sailor Moon hauled the two frightened humans an entire block before letting them stop and rest. While they heaved and panted on the ground she looked back to where she was sure Endymion was now fighting Malachite. She dearly wanted to return to him…

But first things first.

"Reika." She spoke gently, taking the young woman's hand. Andrew hovered protectively nearby.

Serena reflected with an internal wry smile that once upon a time she would have been horrified to learn of Andrew's girlfriend. Now, looking at the auburn haired woman with her gentle (but fear filled) eyes, she was glad he had someone.

"Reika, they were after you for a reason. There is something hidden inside of you that I need desperately, or these bad guys will just keep attacking earth. You know it's not just Tokyo, right? Every major city all over the world has reported seeing these creatures. You can help me stop them!"

Reika stared at her with frightened, tear filled eyes.

Sailor Moon tried again, crouching so she could stare into the sitting woman's eyes, "Reika, please, I need you to-"

Andrew pushed her away from his girlfriend, "Leave her alone! Why can't you just leave her alone! She's done nothing wrong!"

Sailor Moon backed up sadly. "Of course she hasn't Andrew! But the bad guys are going to keep coming after her until they get what she has."

"How do you know my name?" Andrew asked softly.

"What do I have?" Reika asked quietly.

Sailor Moon looked down at her gently, "A crystal, hidden inside you. About the size of a U.S.B, probably. It's very powerful, and if it falls into the wrong hands the results could be catastrophic."

Reika digested that, and Andrew looked from one girl to the other in trepidation.

"Wh... what will happen to me?" Reika asked at last.

Sailor Moon could have punched herself, "Oh, Reika, I'm so sorry I should have said that first! Nothing! It won't hurt you at all! Not if I do it. If the bad guys get you they'll turn you into a monster. I'm sorry."

Andrew put his arms around Reika and glared at Sailor Moon. "Go away." He growled.

Sailor Moon clenched her fists in her skirt, looking like a little girl who had spilt her milkshake.

Andrew started, and something inside him clicked. He stared and was about to say something when Sailor Moon spoke.

"I can't, Andrew, Reika, I'm sorry. Really. But if I don't get the crystal the Negaverse will. And they will use it to take over earth. We will lose our green fields and blue skies, our pretty cities and vast open spaces. They will be replaced by ash mounds and volcanoes, crumbing rock and enormous craters. The scouts and I will try to stop it, but without you, we won't be able to."

Andrew and Reika sat in silence for a minute, digesting that, and Sailor Moon fidgeted nervously. She could take the crystal without permission of course, but she _liked_ Andrew and she _probably_ liked Reika. They both deserved the choice.

Finally Reika looked up, "It won't hurt me?"

"Nope. Not a bit, actually I was told it was a nice feeling."

"And I won't be changed at all?"

"You might lose some of your special talents. That's all, you will still be you."

Reika looked up at her, determination in her eyes, "Do it."

* * *

Endymion ducked a crescent moon swing and bought up his own sword to block the backhanded swing as Malachite changed swing direction in an instant. The two blades met, and sprang apart as their owners faced off again.

Malachite was sweating, and he had the look of a cornered animal in the way he held himself. Endymion remained calm and silent, ignoring the insults thrown at him by the silver haired man.

They charged each other again, Malachite ducked and stabbed upwards at the last second, but Endymion twisted sideways and the sword glanced off his chest plate. He turned the twist into a spin, caught Malachite's sword hand wrist in his free hand and bought the hilt of his sword crashing down onto the general's sword hand. The force of the blow cracked bones in his old friends hand, and Endymion winced at the sharp cry of pain that exploded from Malachite's lips.

Malachite dropped his sword, and they stood there, Malachite kneeling, his sword hand wrist still gripped tightly in Endymions gloved hand. Endymion slowly lowered his sword until the tip was at Malachite's nose.

"You beat me." Malachite seemed shocked by this as he stared up at the serious prince.

"Yes. It wasn't that unusual, once upon a time, you know. You could only beat me one in four rounds."

Malachite stared at him, "You lie. I don't know you. I've never known you."

"You do." Endymion insisted, "How else can you explain I know exactly how to counter that little duck and stab move of yours?"

Malachite scoffed, "That was lucky. If you hadn't been wearing armour I would have gutted you like a fish."

"And yet, I knew exactly what you were doing before you did it. and I knew that if I had dodged backwards you would have thrown one of those little knives you hide so well."

Malachite's eyes went wide.

Endymion smiled sadly at him, "Beryl has brainwashed you, Malachite. You, Zoisite, Nephrite and Jadeite. You were my brothers once, all four of you. Not by birth, but by blood. Didn't you ever wonder why you all had exactly the same scar on your palms?"

Endymion actually had no clue as to whether or not the scars were still present on his blood brothers, but his gamble paid off as Malachite went white.

"How did you know...?"

Endymion released him, kicked his sword away, but kept his own sword close to Malachite's face to dissuade him from going for one of his knives. He used his teeth to pull a black leather glove from his hand and then held out the hand, palm first for Malachite to see.

Malachite stared at the scar on that hand. Identical to his own. Identical to the ones he had seen on Neph, Zoi and Jed.

"That's not possible." He whispered.

Could it be true? Could what this strange man was saying possibly be true? He thought of his dark queen and all the times she had become enraged at his questions, how had they come to serve her? When? How? Why? The questions infuriated her. Could it be because she was frightened of him finding out the truth?

"Malachite!"

As usual, fate intervened. This time, in the form of Nephrite, charging into the trashed servo and swinging his own sword wildly at Endymion, who blocked with ease.

"Beryl says we must return at once!" Nephrite called to his friend as he dodged around Endymion and grabbed Malachite's arm, "Let's go!"

A black whirl of mist engulfed them and they were gone, leaving Endymion alone in the destruction.

He sighed.

"Damn."

Endymion turned to see Sailor Moon picking her way over to him through the mess of the shop.

"Did you get it?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, "Red one. And as usual I was a second too late to use the yellow. Damn. Damn, damn. I'm sorry Endymion. I know how it hurts to not have them anymore."

He smiled tiredly at her, and gently chucked her under the chin, "Chin up, sweet one. We'll get them back. The girls and the generals, you and me, Luna and Artemis. All of us with our precious ones... speaking of precious, I have something here that I thought I would return to you, since you've been down lately."

She cocked her head on one side, "what?"

He reached into a pouch at his belt that she hadn't noticed before and pulled out a gold necklace. It had a gleaming star pendant on it, studded with diamonds and no bigger than a watch face.

Sailor Moon recognised it immediately and gasped, "Where did you get that? I thought it was lost forever!"

Endymion smiled secretively at her, "it's a long story." He reached out and hung the necklace over her head, letting it drop gently around her neck.

She picked up the pendant and found the catch on the side of the star. The front of the star popped open and a beautiful lilting melody wafted into the air around them.

"It's as beautiful as always." Whispered Sailor Moon, head down, staring with wet eyes at the little musical pendant.

Endymion wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "So are you."

* * *

"I need to talk to you."

The voice started Serena out of her wits as she climbed in her window. She lost her balance, and then got up close and personal with her fuzzy carpet with a little squeak. Across the room, her mirror watched in amusement.

Luna watched her struggle out of her face plant, her expression showing none of the laughter she felt. She waited until Serena had rubbed the carpet marks from her face and was sitting on her bed before she spoke again.

"You need to be careful." She said at last.

Serena shot her a baleful glance, "Yeah, like careful of spooky talking cats that just _wait _until you're off guard." As she spoke she waved a hand at the copy of herself. Said copy pulled a face at her but stepped back into the mirror and disappeared.

Luna rolled her eyes, "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about Endymion."

Serena went still, "What about him?"

"What is the relationship between you and Endymion?" Luna demanded.

Serena blinked at her for a second, but didn't reply.

"Because I thought I should remind you. Endymion and Serenity are what we call soul-mates, Serena. They belong with each other. No matter what you think you might feel for him, it's not the same for him."

Serena opened her mouth, and then shut it again with a snap.

"I thought I should remind you." Luna said gently, "Before you got attached. He's a lovely young man, but he's taken."

Serena stared at her. Luna was trying to do her a favour, she had apparently noticed the growing relationship between herself and Endymion, and was warning her off because she didn't want her to get hurt.

She picked up the startled cat and hugged her.

"Thanks for the tip, Luna. I'll remember."

**

* * *

AN: there you go. I feel like its unfinished, but really this chapter was a way to get from point A to point B. Lol, love those exam questions. As usual, any mistakes and typos let me know. **

**Replies to anon reviewers;**

**Lazzykane: Thanks for your review! I am continuing, and will continue until the end of the Black Moon/Nemesis arc. Hope to see you again!**

**Awest99: Thanks very much! **

**Mew Moon: Yeah, something I miss out a lot is the reaction of the general public to Sailor Scouts. No, no fake Sailor Moon. That's just be weird, honestly ,considering that Zoisite is male in this version. 0_o Thanks for your review, hope to see you next time!**

**inukags4evainluv: Thanks very much for your kind review! Hope to see you again! **

**Sailor Crescent 1996: Sorry it wasn't a quick update. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for your review! See you again! **


	12. Calm before the Storm

**AN: Ok, so not much Scouting in this one. Kind of the calm before the storm, really. Enjoy. **

_

* * *

Riiing Riiiing Riiiing _

Serena groaned and rolled over, flailing with one arm for her phone. She didn't bother opening her eyes, and consequently there was a crash. Luna leapt of the bed and hissed in irritation at the noise. Sighing, Serena opened her eyes to see that she had knocked her clock flying while scrabbling for her still ringing phone.

Finally she found it and flipped it open as she dropped back onto her pillow.

"-lo." She muttered.

"Morning cupcake!" chirped Mina on the other end of the phone, and Serena suppressed a groan. Anyone who was this chipper at – she checked the cracked clocks face- 7oclock on a Saturday morning was someone who had too much sugar in their diet. Or caffeine. Or both.

"Miiiina!" she groaned, "It's like, seven o'clock!"

"Oh, I've been up for hours. Shooting for the movie starts early, you know." The reason she was back in Tokyo was the New Sailor V movie, It had just started shooting.

"Hmph." Serena let her feelings be known.

"Anyway! I was ringing you to tell you Peggy is on Sunday morning tv right now! Turn her on, she's talking bout he scouts! She's worth like, millions now!"

Serena groaned loudly into the speaker, making Mina hold the handset out from her ear on the other end.

"The painting of you is being shown right now!" Mina squealed down the line when she came back.

Serena obediently got out of bed and moved hurriedly to the lounge where the other three members of her family stared at her in some amazement. Having Serena up before midday on a Saturday... let alone at seven...

Serena turned the tv on, and switched channels a couple of times until she found the morning program Mina was talking about.

The screen was filled with the painting of her, with the voice over of Peggy and the lady who hosted the show.

"- she must have thought I was a crazy person, the way I grabbed her when she was wandering in the gallery!" Peggy's voice said and Serena realised with a grin they were talking about her.

Her family stared at the painting in wonder and then at her, flabbergasted.

Serena grinned at them, even as the screen showed Peggy and the hostess on a couch, looking more like Lonnie Lanai in a delightful suit and silk shirt combo. Peggy went on to tell the hostess that Serena had been in a coma and had only just woken up. Then the talk turned to Sailor Moon and Peggy's 'rescue' from the winged creature. Peggy didn't enlighten the hostess, merely said she had been frightened.

The hostess asked for her opinion of Sailor Moon, quoting some teen psychologists as saying the girl was disturbed (Serena bristled at this).

Peggy stated that she believed Sailor Moon was from another place, and had said as much. This made Serena wince. Up until now the media circus hounding the scouts had not mentioned the words extra-terrestrial. that would bring in a whole new wave of debate, and debaters. Not to mention the conspiracy theory buff and nerd. Now she was in for it.

"Thanks Peggy." She muttered, "Thanks a lot, mate."

* * *

Raye leant on the tall wall that surrounded her school property and waited tiredly for her friends. Serena was bringing Lita over from Juuban High because Lita didn't know where Raye's School was. She rested her chin against her collarbone and enjoyed the afternoon sun.

She could hear the many voices nearby, as girls greeted parents, siblings and boyfriends at the wrought iron gates not far from her. One voice in particular carried.

"Oh, look, there's the witch I told you about."

"Wow! She's so creepy with that black hair in her face like that!"

Raye felt her cheeks grow hot and ducked her head further so her hair covered her red cheeks. It was always like this. Her visions, her warnings to people (some as innocuous as 'watch out for dogs' and some more serious like 'don't walk home alone) had given her a reputation as a witch. She had no friends here at school, and the people that talked to her usually only wanted one thing or another.

"Yeah," came another voice, this one a girl Raye knew from her class, and she wasn't one of Raye's fans, "she's just creepy. Remember that day she told Rin that she had to hurry home? Turns out Rin got home in time to get her mum out of the house before it burned down!"

"So scary!"

"I know! So weird!"

Raye tucked her chin further and clenched her fists. She used to yell and rage at people she overheard like this. She'd given up on that ages ago: it just made worse. She didn't like that she gave up but honestly, she had other battles to fight.

"Ohmygawd!" gasped one of the nearby girl, "who are they?"

"So cool!"

Despite herself, Raye looked up.

She saw Lita first, towering a head above everyone else and looking at all the prim and proper private school girls with distaste. She was her usual grungy self, torn jeans tucked into old cowboy boots and a white off-the-shoulder tee that was at least two sizes too big for her. She also wore a black beret, tugged down low at the back of her head and a short black bomber jacket.

Serena strolled along next to her, looking calm and collected and just a little underwhelmed y the snooty crowd of girls. She wore a long line cream v-necked t shirt, tight skinny blue jeans and a matching waistcoat, worn open. Brown heeled boots and a long, heavy gold knot hanging around her neck completed her outfit.

They looked like they belonged in a magazine, Raye thought enviously. Serena had messaged her a few minutes ago telling her they were going to change, since they got out of school earlier, and had had a chance to change.

"Ohmygawd, she's like Serena VD!" cried one of the nearby girls. Glancing over at her classmates, Raye snickered when she saw the expressions on their faces. She pushed off the wall.

"Sooo cool!" gushed another.

"Ah!" Lita cried, spotting her, and the nearby girls fell silent.

"Raye!" Called Serena, skipping passed the now silent girls and stopping beside Raye. She paused looking into Raye's face, and then frowned and glanced around. Lita joined them and raised an eyebrow.

"Wassup?" she drawled, catching Raye's flushed face as well.

"No way! They're friends with _her?"_

The whisper was loud enough for most people in the vicinity to hear. Both Serena and Lita heard it, certainly. Lita swung a challenging glance in their direction. Serena straightened.

Raye shook her head at them, "Nah, nothing. Let's go."

Serena cleared her throat loudly, "Sure! After all, _Minako Aino_ is waking for us. I can't believe we're getting _tours_ of her new _movie set. _We're so lucky to know _Sailor V!"_

Lita grabbed Raye's arm, "Yeah, come on, Hino, or your best mate will be wondering where we are! Can't keep Madam Mina waiting!"

Raye couldn't help it, she laughed as they dragged her away.

* * *

"Serena, stop slurping."

Serena paused in her enjoyment of her milkshake, shot a look at Raye, her eyes twinkling.

_SLLLLLUUUUURRRRP!_

Raye twitched, and looked a different direction, trying to find something to distract her. Across the table, Molly and Lita sniggered.

Mina plopped herself down in the booth next to Raye with her own milkshake, and promptly took a great slurp as well.

Raye sighed, and Serna snickered.

"Didn't your mothers teach you any manners?" Raye growled.

Mina blinked at her, "What? What did I do?"

Serena chortled, "No, I was raised by a pack of crows!" She flapped her arms and made cawing noises, imitating Phobos and Demos.

Raye scowled at her, and Mina still didn't get the point of the conversation. Lita watched, grinning, as Raye berated Serena for her lack of manners, and then shrieked in frustration as Mina slurped at her milkshake again.

Lita couldn't hold it in anymore, and started to laugh, snorting a couple of times. This made Molly laugh so hard she fell of her chair, and then even Raye had to grin.

Over at the bar, Andrew watched the group of vivacious girls with interest. He didn't miss the absence of Amy and drew his own conclusions as to her whereabouts.

He watched as Serena started a napkin war with Raye – who he was now sure was Sailor Mars. Pieces of paper napkin went everywhere and Andrew sighed internally- he would have to clean that up later.

He went back to work, his mind full of questions.

* * *

Venus landed on her rear with a 'humph' again.

"Awww, maaaan!" she whined and pouted.

Above her, Jupiter grinned and shrugged, "I'm not as fast as Moony, boss, but-"

"Don't call me Moony!"

"- I am pretty good, even if I do say so myself."

Sailor Moon, across the clearing in the Shrine grounds, pouted at being ignored and returned the meditation she was doing with Mars. It was distracting having the other two fighting nearby, but Mars insisted it was good for her.

Venus got to her feet, "I feel like I've fallen from a tank!"

Moon opened one eye and looked across at her, ignoring Mars' hiss or irritation at her lack of concentration, "Don't you mean run over by a tank?"

"Or fallen from a tenth storey window?" added Jupiter with a grin.

Venus pouted at them, "It's not my fault I get my metaphors mixed up! It's not!"

"Ri-ght." Jupiter grinned, "Let's go again."

"Aw, man J-babe. I swear you hate me."

"Nope, just love putting you on your bum in the dust. Come on."

Venus sighed unhappily and attacked Jupiter again.

Moon settled back into her meditation; "Why am I doing this again? I already remember everything!"

Mars glowered at her, "So you'll be able to focus more when you need to. I've told you..."

"Yeah yeah, I know, I know, they have magic that can make me forget what I'm doing etcetera."

Mars smacked her over the head with a manga she was busy reading while Moon worked, "So concentrate!"

* * *

Serena wandered down the street on her way home after training. It was dark, and late, but she wasn't concerned about her safety because she was Sailor Moon. And Sailor Moon kicked butt. And even if Sailor Moon failed, she had a backup. Namely, a shadow.

A tall, dark and handsome shadow.

Who obviously didn't know how to sneakily follow someone. Though, wearing a big billowing cape, a mask and a top hat didn't exactly lend one to stealth.

But still.

She endured his attempts at silence and unobtrusive stalking for about ten minutes.

Then she stopped dead and waited with her hands on her hips.

There was silence for several seconds and then a familiar voice said sheepishly from behind her, "I guess I failed at stalking 101."

She turned around and mock glared at Tux, who was looking extremely sheepish, and had pink spots on his cheeks.

"Yeah." She agreed coolly. "Why exactly did you choose me as a victim for your stalking?"

He grinned, suddenly self-assured again, "Why, any man would chose one such as yourself, meatball head!"

Serena felt her eyebrow twitch, what was with his good mood? "Oh and why is that?"

He rocked back on his heels, and she had the sudden notion he was preparing to run away, "Oh, you know, blond, young, wandering home alone at night... You may as well paint a sign on your back, 'high school drop-out' or at the very least, 'delinquent'."

Serena curled her fist, thinking it was actually nice to see him so playful, "really. You think so?"

He nodded, and she felt that the punch line was coming, "Yeah, with a hairstyle like that, everyone knows there's no brains in that sweet head of yours, because no sane person would have that hairstyle!"

She froze, "Oh, you _so did not_ just insult the hair!"

He grinned, "And what if I did?"

She dived for him.

* * *

Malachite sat in the large throne like chair that was his seat in the Dark Court.

The court was empty tonight. Most nights it was. Beryl had almost emptied it completely by sending monster after monster to earth. Most had not come back. All had failed to gather the energy Beryl required of them. Those that returned a failure where punished severely. Those, like him, who had some little success were at the very least praised. Some were rewarded.

Not him. He had failed to defeat the Sailor Scouts. He, the strongest of the Generals.

Those of the court now understood the plight of their home. The Sailor Scouts could beat the strongest of their Generals. They were strong indeed.

Beryl entered amid little of the usual fanfare since most of her normal train had been sent to earth and had been defeated by the Sailor Scouts. Behind her came Jadeite, walking with less than his usual bounce. Malachite spared a moment to worry about the younger man. He had been strangely quiet lately.

"Ah, Malachite, there you are." Beryl murmured as she sat in her own throne, larger and more ornate than his.

"Good evening, you're Majesty." Malachite didn't get up to bow. He never had and she had long since given up demanding it.

"I wanted to talk to you again about your failure on the other side." Beryl said as she settled into the chair.

Malachite tensed, and around him many of those who where nearby made no effort to hide the fact that they were listening avidly.

"What about it?" He asked gruffly. His defeat, the first one in over 500 years, rankled.

"You said the man that has been helping the scouts interfered. I wanted to know more about him." Beryl's gaze was sharp and penetrating.

Inwardly, Malachite sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was relive that defeat. The worst thing about it was the man had been so kind about it. Damn him.

"What did you want to know?" He asked grudgingly and didn't miss the look of triumph as it crossed her face. He wondered again, briefly, how he had come into her service.

"What did he look like?" She asked intently, flicking fiery hair from her eyes.

"Tall. Broad shoulders, dark hair, blue eyes. Not a trained warrior, it seemed at first, but his skill with the blade is superb."

She was leaning towards him now, focused entirely on what he was saying, and Malachite had the brief, unwholesome image of a spider waiting for her prey.

"He told me to leave because he didn't want to hurt me. Then he told me his name, and we fought."

"His name?" Beryl demanded.

"Endymion." He replied and looked about in astonishment as pandemonium erupted.

* * *

"Oooh! It's gorgeous Raye! You have to get it!" Mina bounced up and down, already holding several shopping bags full of their shopping.

Raye twirled in the short red mini that she had just exited the dressing room wearing.

Serena stood back and cocked her head to one side as Raye and Mina discussed the delights of the skirt. Beside her Lita made no effort to hide her boredom, and yawned, sighed or shifted restlessly every few minutes.

Mina noticed she was silent and asked her opinion.

"I love it, Raye. I was thinking three things though, one, your grandpa will have a hernia if he sees you in it, two, Chad will love it," she grinned as Raye went red and spluttered, "and it's the same colour as Sailor Mar's skirt."

All three of her friends fell abruptly silent, exchanging uneasy glances, and Serena, in the mood to do a little teasing, continued in an innocent fashion, "I mean, it's a bit tighter than a Sailor Scouts skirt... but I swear that's the same colour." She put a finger to her lip, thoughtfully, "Actually, I was wondering why they wear what they do... I mean, it's not exactly fashionable..."

Lita spluttered beside her, "What are you talking about? Their outfits are awesome!"

Serena frowned at her, "What? Are we talking about the same Sailor Scouts here? They wear pleated skirts, and they have _bows! _Not to mention they have random sailor collars."

Mina was opening and shutting her mouth like a fish. Raye was looking thoughtful, and Lita was still spluttering.

"You know, she's right." Raye said, disappearing back into the change room.

"What?" demanded Lita hotly, "You're joking right?"

"No." Raye's voice was slightly muffled, "She's right. Their outfits are kitsch."

"Even Sailor V is a little bit kitsch, sorry Mina."

Mina blinked, "No she isn't! Anyway, it's their deeds that make them cool."

"Yeah!" Lita agreed, "And anyway, Sailor Jupiter's outfit is awesome! She has wicked boots, and... and..."

"Green and pink." Raye and Serena said in perfect unison, shaking their heads sadly as if to convey a great tragedy.

Lita went red, "What's wrong with green and pink!"

Serena shrugged, "It's about as bad as red and purple. At least Mercury and Venus have different shades of the one colour."

Raye made a choking noise.

"Ah," said Lita, finding a hole in that argument, "Then that must mean Sailor Moon is kitsch too!"

Serena blinked; she hadn't expected that when she started this! "Now, wait a sec..."

"She's right. I know she's your favourite, Serena, but red, white and blue? What the hell? Does she belong to America or something? That only works with... Wonder Woman... and she's not cool either!" commented Raye.

"Hey!" whined Lita, "You guys are picking on my heroes!"

Raye came out of the fitting room holding the skirt and back in her jeans, "Your turn Lita."

Lita went white, "What? Oh, no, no, no! I only came along to be friendly, I'm not shopping!"

Immediately she was confronted by three very determined friends, all looking at her with steely eyes. Lita had never considered herself a coward, yet she took a couple of steps backward when faced with these three.

"You. Will. Shop." Mina told her flatly. Lita reflected that there was only two things Mina was serious about. Being a Scout and Shopping.

"Damn straight. I refuse to be seen with you while you are wearing those _nasty_ track pants and sneakers anymore." Raye stated firmly.

"You've got an awesome figure and those track pants don't show you off the best..." Serena trailed off encouragingly.

Mina poked her and leaned in close, "Gotta have a couple nice outfits for when Neph comes back, babe!" she whispered.

"Right!" Lita said clapping her hands, "Suggestions for outfits, anyone?"

Their faces lit up and Lita felt a sense of foreboding.

* * *

"You did what?"

Serena grinned at him, "We took Lita shopping. I think we empited her bank account."

Darien shook his head, "No, I must have misheard you. Lita and the verb shopping do _not _go together."

Serena laughed; a joyous sound and he found himself chuckling with her.

"I think Mina mentioned Nephrite and date and outfit in the same sentence and if you remember that all we ever needed to do to get Lita a new dress, once upon a time."

Darien chuckled remembering the instances she spoke of.

Serena, sitting at his breakfast bench, and watching him make real coffee with a doubtful expression, sighed.

He paused in spooning coffee and raised an eyebrow at her.

Serena kicked her feet in a restless manner, "I'm sick of hiding out. I want to go out with you and have fun and ... and... Just do normal girlfriend and boyfriend things! I feel like I'm lying to everyone!"

Darien set the coffee down and rested his elbows on the counter to peer in her eyes.

"It's not just that, is it?"

She blinked at him, "Hmm?"

"The lying is eating you up, but not just the lying about us. It's the whole thing, isn't it?"

She blinked at him, and he saw those crystalline blue eyes turn introspective and waited patiently.

"Yeah." She said at last, and blinked at him before pouting, "Why do you always know things like that?"

"Because I'm awesome. Obviously."

She rolled her eyes and he continued, "So you know what?"

"What?"

"I think we should at least tell your parents that we're an item."

As Sailor Moon, Serena thought with a flash of panic, she had never faced anything scarier than telling her father she had a boyfriend.

* * *

A car door slammed outside, and she paused to listen, her heart jumping in her chest. Was it Amy? Was she home?

But no, the door next door slammed.

She sighed and continued pacing for a few more minutes before deciding that she was thirsty. She moved swiftly to the kitchen and poured herself a drink.

She then returned to the lounge intending to sit and wait some more before going to bed and trying to sleep.

But there was a girl standing in the middle of her lounge room floor, a girl who, while Arina had never met her, was extremely familiar. The girl wore a blue skirt, white top with a strange wide blue collar, red boots, and white gloves. There were also two astonishingly large bows on her, one on her chest the other at the small of her back. Her hair was long, and gold and in a strange hairstyle.

She almost dropped her drink.

Sailor Moon looked at her with beautiful crystalline eyes full of sadness, "I think you had better sit down, Mrs Mizuno. I have a story to tell you."

Arina made her way to the couch and sat down without taking her eyes of the scout.

Sailor Moon wrung her hands, and took a deep breath.

"Ok, some of this is going to be hard for you to hear, but I swear, if you hear me out, you'll understand eventually."

Arina sat.

**

* * *

AN: So Sorry it took so long. Would you believe that the usb I have all this stored on went missing? It did. I found it earlier today when I did my semi-annual tidy up of my room. ^_^ **

**Thanks to all the reviews! You guys really do make my day. I haven't replied this time to you all, and I'm sorry! Please don't feel underappreciated! It means the world to me that you guys take the time to review! **

**Also thanks to all the awesome people who fav this story, a day doesn't go by when its not added to someone's favourites and that makes me feel great!**

**MewMoon: Thanks for your review; the weather is finally warming up! It got to 14 degrees yesterday. Lol. Spring is on its way and I am excited! **

**Amber: Thanks for your review, you're very kind! I am trying to write some more normal scenes. **

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****** Please visit my profile and vote in the poll! I want to know about how often and long you want chapters! ******

***** Also, my Live Journal account has previews for chapters, go check it out! (Link in my profile)***  
**


	13. Crash, Bang

Sailor Moon yawned and flung herself to the ground, jostling Mars, who shot her a glare and then shifted to give her more room. Across from them Jupiter sat down with a thump, and Venus flung herself face down on the ground with a moan.

"You _do_ hate me." Venus groaned.

Moon raised an eyebrow before shutting both eyes and getting comfy, "You just need to work on muscle building, Venus, and not keeping the weight off."

Venus groaned, "But muscle makes me look fat!"

Mars sighed, "Does Angelina Jolie or Jessica Alba look fat? No! They're fit! You need to be as well! Screw what your agent says."

Venus sighed.

"Scouts, the reason I called you here was because I believe it is time to start spending all our time looking for the Princess. There is only one Rainbow Crystal to collect, and we need her before we can combine them into the Imperial Silver Crystal." Luna and Artemis appeared, both looking tired.

Moon sat up and snapped her eyes open, "Correction. We need to get the last crystal yes, but we also need Mercury _and _ the crystal the Negaverse took _from_ the Negaverse before we can find the princess."

Luna glared at her, and Moon folded her arms.

"Sailor Moon, you know where the princess is, don't you? You mentioned her some time ago, I recall."

Artemis and all the girls stared at her in shock. She glowered at them, "What?"

"You've known where Serenity is all this time?" Demanded Mars hotly.

Sailor Moon sighed, "Give me a break, will you Luna, geez. Yes I've known where she is for a while. I explained to you at the time that once she remembers who she is she will join us, since she won't be able to hide her massive aura."

Tuxedo Mask who had been listening quietly, made a mental note to ask her how she was actually doing just that.

"But for now, I'm not confident enough in our abilities to wake her. Also, I think we should at least be able to give her all seven crystals."

"She has a point," Jupiter muttered, "I don't think we can really get Serenity to join us and then go, 'oh, yeah, we have to go rescue Mercury and we haven't got all the crystals for you yet."

Sailor Moon nodded, "What she said."

Luna glowered at her, "Alright, I understand, you've made your point. We'll wait to get Serenity. However there was something else, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon looked at her curiously, but didn't say anything.

"I think you should give me the crystals."

Sailor Moon blinked, "Why?"

"Because the Negaverse knows you have them. And that makes you a target."

Sailor Moon opened her mouth but Luna forestalled her by adding "And I know you don't particularly mind being a target, after all, the way you shoot your mouth off at the poor nega generals is proof of that, but I don't want to run the risk of losing any more crystals to the Negaverse. Selenity warned you against what would happen if they got a hold of them, I recall."

Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus shifted uncomfortably, and exchanged glances.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Said Sailor Moon slowly, "I'm the only one so far who has the knowledge to use them. Mars never bothered to learn crystal lore, Jupiter is still working on controlling her lightning, and Venus lacks the focus-"

"I do not!"

"- to use them. Luna, Artemis, can _you_ use them?" Sailor Moon continued, ignoring Venus' squawk of outrage.

Luna and Artemis exchanged glances.

"I can." Luna said at last, "Artemis never learned crystal lore in the Millennium either."

Moon nodded, she had known that already of course, "So shouldn't I keep some and you keep some? That way we split them up and the ones that can use them have them if they need them?"

Luna thought about it, and then turned to Venus, "Venus, you're the leader, you decide."

Venus winced inwardly, choosing between Sailor Moon – who she didn't know very well and trusted less, and Luna? What, was this a trick question?

"I think Luna should have them all. That way if Sailor Moon becomes the focus of the attacks, they won't get _any_ of the crystals." She announced.

Sailor Moon huffed, "You're assuming I would lose." She muttered.

There was an expectant silence, and Sailor Moon shifted a little with a sigh, and waved a hand. The five crystals they had collected appeared floating in the air in front of her.

Mars reached out and touched the red jewel as if in a trance, with one finger, "It's so warm!" she murmured.

Jupiter came over and touched the green jewel, "Wow..." she murmured, "this one feels new... and young."

Venus touched the orange one, and shuddered, pulling back, "Vengeance." She muttered.

Sailor Moon nodded, "Seven jewels for the moon will fight, and combine to show their might, Red for love. Orange for vengeance. Yellow for healing. Green for creating. Blue for remembering, Indigo for power. And Violet for protection."

Luna changed into human form, and reached for the crystals. They floated into her hands, and with a strange movement on her part, they disappeared into her subspace pocket.

Jupiter stretched, "One of these day's you guys are going to have to explain you do that without spells. For now, I'm going home to bed."

"Wait," Sailor Moon said as she got up to go, "I have something to say, and it concerns you all. It's about Amy, and more specifically, her mother."

They stared at her, and she grimaced, "I told her who Amy really was. She knows her daughter was Sailor Mercury. I didn't tell her anyone else's identities, but you have to remember this woman was chosen to be mother of Mercury in this time. She's smart. As if she couldn't be, being a doctor and all. Anyway, be on the alert, she may figure out who you are."

"You told her everything?" Luna asked sharply, "I would think that you could have mentioned it to us before hand!"

Sailor Moon fixed her with a direct, unsettling look that was a cross between irritation and resignation, "Have any of you bothered to check on her lately? She hasn't been sleeping, and she has taken a leave of absence from work. She also hasn't been eating."

"You've been keeping tabs on her?" Mars asked quietly, surprised.

"Of course I have. I keep tabs on all of our families and you in your human forms." Sailor Moon snapped to general murmurs of astonishment, "In case I have to remind you, we are fighting the Negaverse. The most insidious, sly and cruel masters of the dark! They will find your families if they can, and they will hurt them if they can."

Venus sucked in a breath, "The aura suppression you are using... you've placed it on all of us?"

Tuxedo Mask sighed, they were so far from what they had been, "I asked her to keep an eye on all of you." He interjected quietly, and didn't miss the surprised glance Sailor Moon shot him. He hadn't asked her to do any such thing, but he was sick of seeing her as such a target within the group. It seemed as if anything that went wrong was her fault, and any time she acted precipitously was looked upon with -at best- distrust.

"We cannot allow our work if we are distracted by family." Tuxedo Mask said sternly, "As callous as that sounds, our top, our only, priority is to defeat the Negaverse."

"What about the Generals?" asked Mars quickly, eyes wide with horror.

He shook his head, and Venus, feeling the roiling emotions within the Prince, spoke up to spare him, "Even the Generals must take second place, much as that will pain us."

Jupiter sucked in a breath to protest but Venus held up a hand, and looking at the diminutive blond, they could all see the fire in her eyes, pain and passion, it reminded them of the old Sailor Venus and they fell silent.

"It will hurt us. It will hurt so, so much, but we cannot let our feelings for anyone, family, friends, lovers stand in the way of what we must do. The Negaverse must be stopped. They must not unleash the catastrophic force of Metallia, child of Chaos. They must NOT break through to Earth. Earth, the last of the free Jewelled Kingdom's, must NOT FALL to them. "

She took a second to stare around at them, meeting their eyes one by one. Mars was watching her in horror. Jupiter in defiance. Luna and Artemis were nodding in agreement. Endymion and Sailor Moon were smiling a little at her, _proudly? _

"So," Said Sailor Moon quietly, her eyes still shining with pride, "We will fight. We will fight until we can fight no more, and then keep on fighting. Even if Beryl drives us to our knees, we will not give up. We cannot. The last free kingdom in the universe is ours, and we must protect it."

There wasn't much to say after that, and the meeting broke up quickly.

* * *

Sailor Moon headed home slowly, and sure enough she was about halfway home when Tuxedo Mask joined her.

"No stalking today?" she asked lightly, looking out over the lights of Tokyo, lips twisting wryly.

"Not today. I learnt my lesson, thank you very much. You'll have to teach me that headlock move sometime." He took of his hat and smoothed his hair reflexively, memories of the noogie from hell haunting him.

"Sometime." She responded airily, and was about to leap to the next roof when he caught her arm.

"What did she say to you? Dr Mizuno?" he asked gently, those damn eyes of his full of compassion.

She blinked at him, surprised for a second, before glowering. "I hate how you can do that, you know." She grumbled.

"Do what?"

Her eyes lit a little with mirth, "Read my mind."

He chuckled and pulled her into a gentle but firm embrace. She coiled a hand in his shirt and rested her head against his chest.

"What did she say when you told her about Amy?"

"She didn't believe me at first. And then when it started to make sense she accused me of being an alien."

He snorted, "You are. From the moon, no less."

"She didn't react very well when I told her that." Sailor Moon muttered.

"Oh?"

"Well, I think she believed me, and that made her question her sanity."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah." She shrugged against him, "But she believed me in the end. She wasn't happy about, of course, and never wants to see me again. And when I get Amy back – she thinks I will – she wants me to make it so that she never has to transform again."

"Hmmm. Shouldn't Amy have a say in that?"

"That's what I told her. I wasn't popular."

He remained silent and she sighed, "To be honest, I think I'll do that anyway."

"What, remove their Sailor Powers?" he asked in shock.

"Yeah. Once we defeat Beryl and Metallia if we have to, they won't be needed anymore. I won't remove memories of course, just the powers. That way they won't feel the need to do a Sailor V and fight crime and injustice, blah, blah, blah. They can live normal, happy lives."

Tux frowned, "I think you should probably ask them that before doing anything."

"I will. It's up to them. I know what I'd prefer in their situations of course, but I'll leave it up to them."

"Good." He turned her a little and kissed her, long and gentle, before letting her go, "Now, go home and get some sleep."

* * *

But Serena found herself unable to sleep, despite her physical exhaustion from the training. Her mind simply refused to shut down and her thoughts flitted from Darien to Mrs Mizuno to her family, to Beryl, to the Generals and back again.

Finally, after a couple of hours of trying, she gave up and reached into the top drawer next to her bed and pulled out the locket that Endymion had given her. she flipped it open and set it on her pillow by her head. The soft, familiar melody lulled her into sleep almost immediately.

A sleep so deep, in fact that she didn't notice Luna enter the room and stop dead.

Luna stared at the figure in the bed, her eyes wide, her hair standing on end as every fibre of her being reverberated with the familiar tune. Serenity had shown her the locket a couple of times, long ago.

_And now it was here. _

Everything clicked and the cat sat where she was and stared at the girl who she should have recognised. She should have _seen _it. Should have _known._

* * *

The next day, Serena was on her way to school, feeling refreshed even after the small amount of sleep she had had the night before. When she had woken up she just felt good. Luna had been absent, which was unusual, but considering she was still catching up with Artemis she wasn't surprised. She bought a muffin from a bakery and munched as she walked, humming a little and picking out the blueberry pieces before eating the rest.

She almost missed the strange feeling, but dropped her phone and stopped to pick it up. Then she felt it, even as her hand clasped the mobile.

Slowly, she straightened, eyes searching the area warily, good mood gone.

It was a quiet morning, so the carrier of the crystal was immediately visible. A boy or young man, really. He was about the same age as her, sixteen or seventeen, wearing a school uniform.

And looking very, very nervous.

Serena watched him for a second, and with a start, the young man looked up, and their eyes met. His eyes, mousy brown and fearful, widened even more, and Serena realised with a start that he recognised her. She blinked in astonishment.

He ran.

"Hey," Serena started after him, "Hey! HEY! WAIT!"

She took off after him, dashing across the road and dodging cars (that honked at her) and leaping over the safety rail with ease before sprinting after him, "WAIT! I WONT HURT YOU!"

He ran down the street a whole block, and even with her Sailor Powered legs she couldn't catch up. This puzzled her momentarily, but she pushed the thought away as she powered around a corner,

Only to have something slam into her chest, hitting her across her collar bone and stopping her forward momentum. Her feet flew up, she got a glimpse of the blue sky, and then she was on her back, her chest burning and gasping for air.

Malachite sneered down at her,

"My my, we are eager, aren't we?"

Serena coughed and rolled onto her side before pushing herself to a crawling position.

Malachite, apparently not concerned with her, turned to the boy, who was cowering against a wall nearby.

"So, boy, are you going to make this easy?" he asked in a smooth, easy voice.

Serena pulled herself to her feet. Whatever Malachite had hit her with had been hard. Damn hard. If she had been human she would have a broken collar bone now.

The boy was trembling before Malachite, "D-Don't try to c-convince me you're nice! I've seen what you'll do to me! You're a monster!"

Malachite's amiable expression fell, to be replaced by a fierce scowl. "As you wish. I prefer to be honest anyway."

The General drew his sword, and the metallic hiss it made as it came from it's sheath had the hair on Serena's arms standing on end.

Serena swallowed and pressed the button on her communicator, praying silently that the others would be here in time.

"What is your name, boy?" Malachite asked softly as he advanced.

The boy swallowed, "Greg."

Malachite nodded, "Goodbye, Greg." He raised his sword above his head and bought it crashing downwards with terrible force.

CLANK!

Malachite blinked in astonishment. Before him stood the girl he had knocked to the ground without a care. She stood with her feet braced her shoulder width apart, and her body tense and controlled. The palms of her hands were pressed to the flat of his blade, pressed so hard that she had stopped it.

_She had caught the blade. _

Blue eyes the colour of the earth's sky shone cooly at him and for a second he thought he recognised those eyes, but then the knowledge was gone.

"Now, Malachite. Don't be thinking I'll let you have the crystal. And while we're on the subject, I'd like Sailor Mercury, General Zoisite and the Indigo Crystal back. Thanks very much."

And she _shoved_ her hands forwards, keeping the blade between them. His muscles were slack with shock, and she used it to her advantage and slammed the hilt of the sword backwards into his stomach. He bent double with a 'oof' of surprised pain and Serena raised one arm and conked him on the head with her elbow, driving it down hard on the base of his neck.

He hit the ground face first and she spun to grab the boys arm, "Time to go! He won't stay down long!"

She dragged the fearful boy away, down and alley and towards the less populated part of town. They ran for three minutes uninterrupted and Serena was just beginning to hope that Malachite wasn't following them, when she glanced over her shoulder.

"DUCK!" she screeched, and flung the boy to the ground before following him she skidded hard on her hands, taking a layer of skin, but the fireball that the General had shot at her sailed harmlessly over their heads and impacted a nearby light pole before exploding and cutting the pole in two.

The boy screamed in fear as the broken part of the pole fell towards them, but Serena was already moving again, rolling sideways and pulling the boy with her.

Then she was on her feet again, trying desperately to get him up too, "GET UP, GET UP!" She shrieked, looking over her shoulder at the quickly advancing general.

The boy staggered to his feet, and they ran again.

_Whoosh!_

Serena darted to the side, dragging the boy with her, and another fireball shot past them.

Serena kept running, kept pulling him along, looking for somewhere, anywhere, to hide long enough to transform...

A mall! Huge, glass windows beckoned her, glinting prettily in the early sun.

She dragged the boy through the large glass doors. It was early, so it was relatively empty. She skidded to stop, halting him as well and looked frantically for somewhere to hide.

Someone screamed and a terrible noise filled the air, reverberating through her, making her teeth chatter and clench.

She spun and saw the whole front of the mall, all that pretty glass, exploding inwards and all those glittering, beautiful fragments shot rainbows through the air even as the thundered down towards them in a hail of deadly spikes.

Greg ducked, knowing it was useless. He and the strange girl would die, no one could survive the glass falling on them, oh, god they were going to be cut to ribbons. Would his parents have to identify his body? Would there be enough of him left to identify? Would-

_Waitasec. _

The glass hit the floor all around him, but it did not touch him, and when he looked up, he saw why.

Sailor Moon stood above him, arms out and feet braced apart. In front of her was a glowing shield of silver light.

He slowly got to his feet.

"Ok Greg." She said over her shoulder, dropping the shield, "I'm Sailor Moon, and I need you to stay close. Ok?"

He nodded, realised she couldn't see him, and spoke, "Yes."

Malachite stepped over the broken glass, it crunched under his boots, "Well well, Sailor Moon. How... interesting..." he grinned suddenly, "I'm looking forwards to the rematch!"

Sailor Moon clenched her fists, "Bring it, Malachite. Just bring it."

Malachite sneered at her, pulled back a hand and flung another fireball at them. Sailor Moon threw up the shield again, and Peter watched as she gritted her teeth, and skittered out of the way as she skidded backwards.

Sailor Moon didn't bother waiting for an invitation, she charged. Greg watched in amazement as she leap at the last instant and bought her fist crashing downwards towards Malachite's head. Malachite threw up and arm to block, and she missed, but turned her body in mid air, swinging out with a leg and catching him in the side, just under his arm. He grunted and staggered sideways,

Sailor Moon landed easily, and back flipped to a safer distance, out of reach.

They stayed still for a second, glaring at each other, and then they charged again. This time Malachite aimed a punch at her face, but Sailor Moon ducked and slammed a hand into his sternum, and when he doubled over she executed a swift uppercut to his nose.

He staggered back, bleeding, and glared some more.

Sailor Moon stayed still, "Malachite, try and remember who you are."

Malachite sneered, and Sailor Moon felt a sense of foreboding, "You keep trying to trick me, to turn me against my queen, but I'm stronger than that! I will not betray my queen!"

Sailor Moon sighed, "At least you're loyal, I guess."

Malachite drew his sword and Sailor Moon winced. _Damn, I'm no good against the sword. Where is everyone?_

As if reading her mind, Malachite laughed, "Are you wondering where your precious team members are?"

Sailor Moon tensed, but didn't say anything.

"They won't be coming to your aid, my dear." Malachite gloated, and sank into a drill pose she didn't recognise.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, summoning her sceptre with a flick of her wrist.

Malachite's smirk was really starting to grate on her nerves, "Oh, nothing... nothing... merely that I have arranged a special greeting for them... and their families... and your family..."

He paused and looked at her, and she felt a sweep of nausea roll through her stomach, "and your family too, I feel compelled to add, Miss Tsukino."

Sailor Moon gasped, all air leaving her as if she'd been socked in the stomach, "What?"

He smirked some more, "You heard me. I know who you are, and I know who all your pitiful friends are."

"MOON SCEPTRE POWER!"

A thick beam of silver light sped towards him, and she watched in disbelieving horror as he swung his sword and deflected it with ease.

"I can see you're wondering why I am suddenly more powerful." Malachite spoke as if he hadn't just cut a beam of light with his sword, "the answer to your question is, of course-"

"Shut up already."

Malachite stopped and blinked at her.

"I know. Beryl is ready to unleash Metallia she has stockpiled enough energy, and that allows you to take any leftovers and use it yourself. What, have you got a dark crystal on you?" Sailor Moon's voice was flat and cool.

Malachite didn't answer and she continued, "Just fight, Malachite. I'm sick of this. All of it, and if it's time for it to end, then so be it."

**

* * *

AN: Hey all sorry it took me so long. I was originally going to have the whole battle scene in this chapter but that line provides just too much of a opportunity for a cliffhanger. **

**Sorry. ^_^**

**Ok, so as far as I can tell, you'd all like updates more often, but shorter in length. I'll do my best to provide that. **

**Also, I know I only replied to some reviewers. Sorry to those of you I haven't replied to. I have read them all and am glad to receive them, but I haven't had time to reply. Sorry! **


	14. Welcome to the Dangerzone

**Chapter 14 **

**Welcome to the Dangerzone **

_

* * *

Malachite didn't answer and she continued, "Just fight, Malachite. I'm sick of this. All of it, and if it's time for it to end, then so be it." _

* * *

Malachite charged, swung his sword at the last minute- at her head. Sailor Moon bent over backwards, the sword sailed harmlessly passed her nose, and she turned the bend into a back flip. Now a pace away from him, she levelled her sceptre at him and threw a burst of silver white energy at him. He bought his sword up into the guard position and the energy impacted the sword with a metallic screech, and he skidded back a few paces, unhurt as the power dissipated. Sailor Moon let out a small noise of irritation and took a stepping leap that carried her into the air at a speed far beyond ordinary human. She kicked out with her leading leg and spun to kick with the other, both kicks landed. The first on his shoulder, knocking him off balance, the second impacted his temple and sent him flying.

He slammed a single hand down before he hit the ground and flipped over it to stand facing her again.

There was a beat of silence and stillness.

Then he lifted a hand and flung a burst of crackling dark energy at her. She dived out of the way, and rolled to her feet.

"This is ridiculous!" she yelled across at him, "You saw Endymion, you spoke with him! Tell me you didn't feel something change within you!"

Malachite let out a wordless snarl and flung another burst of dark energy at her. This time she batted it away with her sceptre.

Malachite had sheathed his sword when she focused on him again, and stood there with his arms by his side, an unreadable expression on his face.

Then he seemed to _flicker_ and was gone.

She started to spin, searching for him.

_CRACK. _

Pain exploded in her temple and she felt herself being lifted off the ground by the force of the blow. She sailed through the air and landed with a terrible crack and slid for several feet along the smooth tiled surface of the mall floor.

She was up and on her feet again, but found it hard to focus.

_That one really did a number on me. _ She told herself in a wobbly mental voice.

It was quickly becoming clear to her that while it was possible for her to match Malachite with speed, when it came to the sheer power behind blows, he would win hands down.

_So that's the last hit he can land. I can't afford to take another smack like that._ She set her jaw and dropped into a fighting stance.

He flickered again, moving so fast he seemed to teleport from one place to another.

But two could play at that game!

She_ flickered_ herself, darting away from where he was heading (where she had been) and skidding to a stop beside a stand of hats. Then she threw a blast of energy at him. He ducked it, but she hadn't stayed still after the attack and had moved to his blind side as he dodged the beam of silver white energy that could have incinerated him (and indeed, did incinerate a store nearby). She hurled her tiara at point blank range, and only his excellent reflexes stopped the tiara from taking his whole arm. He leaned backwards, but even as it was the tiara cut into his shoulder, cut deep, and he let out a roar of angry pain, his arm now hanging useless by his side.

Sailor Moon felt a brief burst of guilt and resolved never to tell Mina she had done that. Quick way to die, that. But at the same time she was glad, his sword arm was now useless.

That's how it was for the next few minutes. They used their incredible speed and agility against each other, pushing their opponents' limits and breaking through their own.

She darted away from one of his swings, leaping into the air, twisting and landing on one of the large tiled pillars that littered the malls premises. She stayed there for an instant, defying gravity by standing at right angles to the ground. She couldn't see him.

The pillar shattered into thousands of little pieces, but she had already flipped out of harms way.

Another difference became obvious.

Stamina.

Sailor Moon was strong and fast, but she wasn't a marathon runner. She wasn't used to spending hours wearing armour and swinging a sword around. And it was starting to show. She was getting slower.

Three times now she had almost been caught and only her instincts saved her from certain death. Twice he had seen where she was moving and had been there before her, and only her reflexes and instincts had saved her.

Then it happened. He landed another blow.

She was in mid air at the time, flipping round and just brining her sceptre to bear on him when his fist caught her in the stomach. For and instant they hung together in mid air, his smirk filling her sight, before she was blasted away from him by more than just the punch. Up, up, she sailed until she hit the large, girder supported ceiling of the mall. Her shoulder clipped one of the heavy iron bars strung across the roof, and she spun dizzily for a second before slamming into the ceiling itself. Then she fell, barely conscious. She tumbled straight down.

Halfway down he was there to meet her, and this time there was no arc, no graceful arch to the path she travelled through the air. His fist sent her straight, parallel to the ground, faster than a car. She slammed through a window, a counter, a rack of clothes without slowing, another window, before finally being bought up short on the tiled stair case.

She lay there, dazed and in pain.

Malachite approached. He looked down at her. She lay on her back, eyes staring unseeingly upwards, hair a mess; mostly it had fallen out of its buns. Her skirt was practically gone after the two windows. Her gloves were gone completely, he didn't know where. One boot was half off her foot, a feat considering the length of the boots. Her right side was covered in lacerations, all leaking blood down the steps. He watched the little red river on the cream tiles with satisfaction.

Her face was rapidly swelling down one side and he wondered blithely what she had hit her face on. Her breathing he noticed, was rapid and shallow. The breathing of one close to death.

He stood there for several seconds, waiting. But she didn't move.

So he turned and went to the cowering, quivering boy. In an instant, the crystal was his, and there was a great hulking monster shaped vaguely human standing in front of him, awaiting orders.

"Make sure she is dead, Shadow Bunpo." He ordered it, and finally let himself relax as the beast lumbered off to do his bidding, gripping his shoulder and bending over, waiting for the pain to recede.

_Beryl wanted her alive... but she's more trouble than she's worth. No one will know she didn't just die of injuries sustained in the fight. _

Bunpo returned, looking troubled, "She was already dead, master."

Malachite was hardly surprised, she had been badly beaten and those quick zipping movements of hers took a lot of energy.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Master, her breathing had stopped."

"No matter. Let us return to Beryl."

* * *

Darkness shifted, and noise intruded. The sleeper puzzled at the noise. People around him were talking quietly. He could tell by the tone of their voices they were tired and worried. About what? He wondered, and then realised he must be at the hospital and listening to colleagues talking about their patients.

But wait, why would they be doing that in the on call room where he was sleeping?

Irritated, he opened his eyes and sat up, about to give them a piece of his mind.

Except it wasn't his colleagues that were talking quietly, it was a small group of girls wearing strange outfits.

He stared at them for a moment. Then he clutched his head as pain exploded behind his eyes. Then he remembered, he had been having his last coffee before heading out the door to work when...

"Ouch!" he remembered aloud the pain of the blow.

Mars looked up from where she and the girls had been discussing matters with relief, "Endymion!" You're awake!"

Endymion rubbed the back of his head and the large bump there, "Yeah. Please explain."

"You've all been taken into the Negaverse." Mercury said quietly, "Beryl synched it so you were all taken at once. We're in cells underneath her dark citadel."

"And it's not just us." Jupiter said, and nodded to the door of the cell. It was more a grate really, enabling him to shuffle over and peer out into the large round chamber beyond, and into the other cells around. The chamber was quite large, with a slightly raised circular dais in the centre. To his left he could see vast metal doors, shut against the outside world. The cells were at regular intervals all the way around the room, and above them was a mezzanine floor that ran the entire way around the room, with a gap for the door. He couldn't see any way to get to that floor. Everything was made of dark, shiny stone or wood. It was all nastily reminiscent of Rome's coliseum.

Faces peered back at him from the other cells, some he recognised, some he didn't.

"Darien!" a voice called, and he turned to see Andrew and Reika in a cell a little to his left. They were pale and wide eyed, but seemed ok. He sent them a reassuring smile and a wave. They waved back.

"We don't know why so many were taken, and apparently there are more coming." A soft voice spoke from the corner of the cell, someone Endymion hadn't notice before.

"Zoisite!" he cried, delighted, and strode across the small space to embrace his old friend.

Zoisite was surprised by the warm embrace. Mercury smiled, watching the astounded expression on his face as he stepped back and fell to his knees.

"P-prince, forgive me!" he cried.

Endymion sighed, "What for? It seems that in my absence you found a new master and served her just as loyally as you would have served me had I been present." He bent down on his heels and looked Zoisite in the eye, "Now, while I would have preferred you found someone less evil there's this whole issue of brainwashing." He stood and pulled his old friend to his feet, "As far as I'm concerned, you and the rest of my Generals are blameless." He remained easy and gentle for a second and then his whole demeanour changed as he thought of the person who was truly to blame, "_The blame lies with Beryl." _He hissed angrily at no one.

"See?" Mercury said from where she was sitting complacently with the scouts, "I _told_ you he'd say something like that."

Zoisite didn't say anything, merely looked tentatively relieved.

"Now we have that sorted," Endymion turned to the room at large, "will someone tell me why you haven't blasted down the doors and taken this place by storm?"

Venus snorted, "We can't. We've tried. They've done something to us that blocks out powers. That's why we're still transformed; they don't need to worry about us wrecking the place even if we do escape..."

There was noise in the large circular chamber outside their cell, and they all moved to the grate to peer out.

The great doors opened, and in marched a platoon of men and women in official Nega Army uniform, all black and red. They bought with them a family that Endymion recognised, all bound and gagged.

"The Tsukinos!" Cried Mars in horror.

"But where is Serena?" demanded Jupiter, squeezing the bars in anger as she watched as the family was thrown into a cell across the room.

_Serena. Oh god. _ He must have bumped his head really hard to not have thought of her before now. _Where is she? Is she ok? _

Another platoon marched in, this time with faces he recognised from Serena's school. Molly, Melvin, and a few others whose names he had forgotten.

Molly was struggling tearfully, "Why are you doing this! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Oh do be quiet dear," the laconic drawl of Nephrite filled the room as he wandered in behind the platoon, grey uniform pristine and hands in his pockets, "All shall be explained soon enough."

Jupiter hit the bars so hard that the girls grabbed her and held her back, lest she hurt herself.

There was a loud yawn and Jadeite wandered in to stand beside Nephrite on the dais. Unlike his counterpart, his uniform was slightly mussed and his hair was in his face. He stretched and yawned again, "How long have I got?"

Nephrite shot him an amused glance, well used to his friends' habits, "Several minutes I should say."

Jadeite yawned again, "Good, wake me when she gets here. Or Malachite, whichever." And he dropped down where he was standing, sitting before lying on his back and starting to snore, one arm thrown across his face.

Nephrite shook his head and snorted. Endymion's heart clenched. They were still such good friends, even with the darkness inside them.

Nephrite wandered over to their cell, "So, Zoisite, have you decided to rejoin us yet?"

"It is you who will be joining us, Neph, my friend." Zoisite returned softly.

Nephrite ground his teeth and glared at him, "How could you betray us so?"

Zoisite didn't answer, because the doors opened again, and another woman was escorted in, her corporate suit mussed.

"MUM!" Shrieked Mercury, "MUM! Are you ok?"

Dr Mizuno jerked free of the guard and dashed to the cell door, "Amy! My baby! Are you ok?"

Dr Mizuno's arms were tied behind her back so Mercury reached through the grate and hugged her mother, "I'm ok, mama, I'm ok. I missed you!"

Mercury's mother was weeping, "She told me you were ok, she told me, but I didn't believe her!"

Nephrite chuckled, "What a touching family reunion, now, ma'am, to your cell, thank you." He hauled Dr Mizuno away, making Mercury cry harder. Zoisite wrapped his arms around her and the girls watched in sympathy.

More people came. People they knew, Gramps, Hayate, Peggy, the list went on.

At last there was no more, the cells were full, and Nephrite was looking smug. Jadeite still snoozed at his feet.

And then the doors opened again and darkness seemed to fill the room.

* * *

Darkness shifted, and noise intruded. The noise of people calling to her. Sailor Moon wished they would shut up, she could get up on her own, thank you very much. If they'd just shut up maybe she could concentrate on a healing spell. She pushed the noises away and concentrated on healing, or at the very least, stopping the blood that she could practically feel pouring out of her. Slowly, little by little, the cuts and gashes healed, and almost immediately she began to feel better.

"The cuts- they've healed on their own!" someone cried above her and she cringed, loud much?

"She moved!"

_Well, duh, friend. _

She snapped her eyes open, and flicked them shut again immediately with a grunt of pain as the bright white lights of the mall blinded her.

Then she cracked them open again, just a bit, and peered through her long lashes at the people surrounding her. They were bending over her, worried looks in their faces, her blood on their hands where they'd tried to stop the flow.

"She's awake!" someone cried, and a murmur ran through the crowd.

"Ach," Sailor Moon grunted and pushed herself into a sitting position, "I'm awake alright. how do I know this? Because everything _hurts_."

"We thought you were dead!" someone cried and she couldn't help but smirk.

"Not me, they tried to kill me a thousand years ago too. Didn't work out too well for them then either."

The murmurs turned into gasps, and she shrugged inwardly, they had to find out sometime, right?

"Someone wanna help me up?" she asked the ring of friendly faces, and hands came from all directions.

Once she was on her feet she felt even better, until what Malachite had said to her came rushing back; _ I know who you are, and I know who all your pitiful friends are._

That was impossible, right? He was bluffing. He had to be. She had been far too careful for anyone to know! He had to be bluffing!

"Thanks for your help, everyone, I gotta go."

"What, you can't possibly-" began one of the young men present in horror.

"Save your breath friend, she's gone."

And so she was. Vanished like mist on a warm morning.

_

* * *

Gotta get home, gotta find out, gotta see..._ the words repeated themselves several times in her head like a mantra on her headlong sprint home. Everything hurt. Her side, her legs, she knew there were more She ignored the startled cries and stares of passersby; it was still early morning, even after everything that happened, and Tokyo was only just beginning its day.

_Finally. _She was on her street... on her block... in front of her house.

Her house with the broken windows. Her house that just felt _wrong._

She swallowed the burning of tears in her throat and dashed inside to where the dining room still had food on the table, where the tv was on in the lounge, where her brothers school things were ready to be packed on his bed, where her mothers' dressing gown was on the floor instead of the door hanger where she always hung it. Her father's newspaper that he opened first thing every morning wasn't open.

She sat down, not even realising that in all the commotion of the last few minutes that she had lost her transformation and that she was now wearing her school uniform. For several minutes she just sat there, seeing nothing, hearing nothing.

After an age she stood, and took a deep breath. She muttered a couple spells under her breath and was surrounded by a pale glow. Her body healed, but it left her feeling weak and feverish.

"Geez, if I had just told them who I was and kept the damn crystals..." she groaned and sat down again, waiting for the sudden nausea to pass. It took some time, and several dry retches before she was able to stand again. when she felt solid on her feet she took another deep breath and she ran out the door.

The shrine was hollow and empty. It showed signs of a struggle.

Mina's apartment was silent as a tomb.

Jupiter little flat was devoid of any life.

Even the Mizuno house was silent and cold.

Molly's home was empty.

Hayate wasn't in any of his usual haunts.

She went to the park and sat down on a bench in the midday sun, and curled her knees up against her chest. Then she put her face into her drawn up knees and wept.

**

* * *

AN: Again with the mean end. Sorry bout that, but you did say you wanted more updates with shorter chapters! This is 8 pages long. If you think you like the 20-sih pages of my previous efforts more then tell me! Go vote in the poll on my profile. Longer chapters ftw! **

**Or something. **

**Nyah, I really struggled writing the battle this chapter. *_* I wanted it to be a bit more full on than the last few battles I've described so far, but at the same time I liked both the characters too much to want to hurt them. In the end obviously, Sailor Moon had to lose for the story to continue... but still... **

**Oh I haven't proof read this very well, I just wanted to post it before I had to go out so, plx let me know any mistakes, and thanks to those who noticed the mistakes last chapter and told me. I havent fixed them yet but I will! **

**Anyway, next chapter... Endymion comes face to face with Beryl after a thousand years. A happy reunion? I think not. And we find out what happened to Luna and Artemis, since I'm sure some of you noticed that I didn't mention them in this chapter... AND there will be some identity revealing. I think (ponders) **

**Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! 239! Wow! Lets see if I can hit 250 with this chapter, cus that would just be awesome! And that would also make me want to scan the illustrations I drew while bored and post them too... ^_- **

**Anon Reviewers: **

**MinaMoon: Hey, you're the only anon reviewer this chap! Maybe all the others realised I like PM-ing people and got their own accounts? Anyway thanks very much for your review! You read it in one sitting? That would have taken a while! As for showing her true self, in the next chapter or two. ^_^ **


	15. Bittersweet Darkness

**An: Swearing in chap. You're warned. ^_^ Its right at the end, but still, fore warned is fore armed, right?**

**Also, we hit over 250 reviews! WOW! I am so stoked! You guys are awesome! As a thankyou I drew a fanart and posted it on deviant art . com. If you want to check it out (you don't have to! ^_^) then the link is neonanimeprincess ( .) deviantart (.) com /#/d2zeice**

**Without the spaces or brackets of course! **

**On with the show...

* * *

**

**Bittersweet Darkness

* * *

**

_At last there was no more, the cells were full, and Nephrite was looking smug. Jadeite still snoozed at his feet. _

_And then the doors opened again and darkness seemed to fill the room. _

Nephrite booted Jadeite in the side and the younger man leapt to his feet immediately, smoothing down his tousled hair and mussed uniform. Endymion wondered with the part of his mind free for erroneous thoughts if he had actually been asleep. He certainly seemed to wake faster than he used to.

But then all his attention was reclaimed by the tall woman gliding into the room and the shadows she seemed to bring with her. Her skin was pale, almost grey. Her eyes were slanted and glowed slightly, the colour of amber. She wore a crown across her forehead that was reminiscent of the Sailor Scout's tiaras, but made of warped black metal with a dark jewel in the centre. Many rings glittered on her fingers, and her nails looked more like claws than nails. Somehow, the temperature in the room dropped. Her long fiery hair fell down her back in waves and she wore a blue gown that was at once elegant and sexy.

_Whoah, waitasec, I did not just think Queen Beryl sexy. _Endymion frowned. What was he _doing?_

Around him all the other prisoners had fallen silent, and glancing around he saw that all of them were staring at her with awe. That wasn't right. How could they be looking at her like that? Even someone who knew nothing of good and evil should see her as evil with just a glance!

Beside him Zoisite shifted subtly, "Glamour." He muttered and Endymion understood. Beryl was using spells to make herself more appealing.

Why?

Several servants followed her in the door carrying a chair, no, a throne. It was large, and seemed to be made entirely of gold metal, probably real gold and a black stone he was fairly sure was onyx. Those carrying it were humanoid, though their faces were covered by their helmets so he couldn't be sure. They moved into the room and set the chair on the dais, close to the doors so when she sat Beryl could still see all the prisoners in the circular room.

She didn't sit right away but stood and slowly moved her piercing amber gaze around the room. It paused on him and they considered each other for some time. Endymion pushed his memories away and kept his face expressionless. He would _not_ give her the satisfaction of seeing his pain.

"Endymion." She spoke at last, and the room seemed to grow even stiller with the weight of her voice, "It has been a long time."

"Hello Beryl." He spat the words between clenched teeth, not using the tile Queen just as she had not used his title. Vaguely he could hear Jupiter growling behind him, but ignored her.

She didn't say anything else, but a twitch in her lip told him she had noted the insult. She let her gaze move over the Sailor Scouts slowly. She met all of their eyes, and then frowned and Endymion saw both Nephrite and Jadeite wince.

"We're missing one." it wasn't a question and both Nephrite and Jadeite stiffened at her quiet but deadly tone, exchanging a glance.

Nephrite bowed hurriedly, "Malachite is dealing with the last Scout and Crystal, your Majesty. We expect his return at any moment, with Sailor Moon and the crystal in tow. Our apologies for the delay."

Beryl considered this for several seconds, a queer light in her eyes as she made his General's sweat. Endymion clenched his fist.

Then she nodded and they relaxed. Beside him Zoisite let out a soft sigh of relief and Endymion felt another thrill of anger. This woman did nothing to deserve the loyalty she was given!

Beryl turned and addressed the room at large, "I suppose you are all wondering why you are here." She sat herself down and arranged her skirts, "Well, you don't need to know the whole story."

Nephrite and Jadeite moved to stand either side of her throne and stood at ease, hands clasped behind their backs.

There was a muted muttering. Endymion glanced around. They were all still staring at her, entranced.

"Is there any way to break the glamour?" he whispered to Zoisite.

Zoisite shook his head, "Not without touching her. This will make things more difficult, they're likely to believe everything she tells them." He murmured.

"I bought you all here because you have all come into contact with someone I very dearly want to meet again."

Endymion felt a cold thrill curl up his spine. There was an expectant silence in the dimly lit room.

Beryl's gaze moved around the room, piercing them with her amber stare, "You were all chosen to be bought here because I sense something on you, something that tells me that you have been in contact with the woman I want to find."

"What are you talking about?" Demanded Mercury hotly, "Explain yourself!"

Beryl smiled in a sinister manner at her before continuing as if she hadn't spoken, "this woman has a very powerful aura. It leaves a mark, like and oily stain on someone else's aura. Since I can sense auras, I was able to scry all those who have recently come into contact with Princess Serenity."

Endymion felt a low swoop of horror in his stomach. This was all about Serenity. He looked around again. Yes, everyone present knew Serena. _Damn! _

"What?" whispered Mercury, horrified.

Endymion threw a glance at the other girls, all of whom looked dismayed by this revelation.

"So I gathered you all. All of you have come into contact with this woman, this Princess... this witch."

"Witch?"

Endymion felt a pang when he realised that it was Andrew, Andrew who knew Serena so well, who had asked the question. He looked across at his friend, who was pale and seemed to be hanging on Beryl's every word.

"Don't believe her, Andrew!" He yelled across the room, shaking the bars, "Don't! She's lying!"

Andrew tore his gaze from the woman with the red hair with effort, and looked across the room at the man who had yelled at him.

"Darien?" he whispered, astonished to remember that he already seen his friend here... why had he forgotten? The man gripping the bars and glaring across at him was Darien, no question, but his clothes...! And then he remembered the man that had stopped their attacker in the service station.

Beside him, Reika jerked as she too recognised their friend, "Dr Shields?" she gasped. "But..."

"Darien!" cried another voice, this time a little boy that Andrew recognised as Serena's younger brother, Sammy. Then it hit him.

_Where was Serena? _Andrew felt a thrill of fear though he wasn't even sure why.

"Don't believe her!" Endymion called to them, relieved that some of them were pulling out of the spell cast by Beryl's glamour, "She's lying. Serenity isn't a witch!"

"You know her?" Reika asked, something inside her eager for an answer. Around her those who knew Darien were asking as well. Zoisite glanced at his Prince with awe, just seeing him and recognising him was making them break Beryl's thrall over them.

Beryl flicked her fingers, and silence fell. Endymion tried to speak, and found that no words came out. All around the room others were doing the same. He turned to her with a glare.

"That's better." She said softly, dangerously, "Didn't you know it's rude to interrupt? As I was saying, I bought you here because this _witch_-" she spat the word, "has left her mark on you. Her disgusting stain. Now. Think, my pretty little humans, think. Who is not here. Who is missing?"

Nephrite coughed nervously, "As to that, ma'am, there was one we didn't manage to find."

Suddenly, all Beryl's attention was on him, "Speak!" she ordered. He jumped a little, and winced.

"One of the human families... Tsukino, I believe their name is. Their daughter was not at home when we ... collected... them."

Behind Endymion, someone shifted, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Mars and Venus clutching each other, eyes wide in silent horror.

"You leave my daughter alone!" Bellowed Kenji Tsukino, eyes wild as he yelled at the strange woman on the throne, "Don't you dare touch her!"

"Tsukino." Beryl said softly, ignoring him completely. "Ah, a fitting name. 'Of the moon' indeed. Well, see to it, my General. Find her. Bring her. Teleport straight here when you have her, dear boy, else we waist time."

Nephrite bowed. Jupiter punched the wall with a silent snarl.

Before Nephrite could turn to leave the doors opened again, and Malachite entered. Endymion felt his breath freeze in his throat. The man was limping. There was blood on his face and one shoulder and side of his clothes were saturated with blood.

Venus moved to the bars to get a better look at him her eyes wide with horror she could not express.

But Malachite was smiling.

Beryl stood, "My, General Malachite, you seem rather the worse for wear."

Malachite bowed with obvious difficulty, "It is nothing your Majesty... Your Majesty, may I present Shadow Warrior Bunpo?"

A great, lumbering creature moved through the doors, and moved to stand behind him. It was easily twice as high as Endymion, and about as broad as a dining table. Its head seemed to sink into its shoulders for it had no neck. The rest of its strange, scaly body was grotesquely muscled.

Beryl's eyes lit up, "Bunpo! It has been too long! Welcome home!" she looked at Malachite, "You have the crystal, then?"

Malachite held out a small, blue, flat disc, "I present the crystal of Remembrance, your majesty."

Beryl took it with obvious delight. Endymion squeezed the bars so tight his hands ached. _Where is she? Is she ok? Did she fight him off? _

"And the last Sailor Scout?" Beryl's tone had cooled a little.

Malachite sighed with apparent dejection, and even Endymion could see he was faking it, "I'm afraid Sailor Moon did not survive, you Majesty. She used too much energy, over reached herself too much."

Silence fell. Endymion felt all the air leave his lungs. _No... no... its not possible, it can't be! _

"LIAR!"

The yell startled everyone, including the owner of the voice. Endymion looked across at Molly, who was gripping the bars of her cell and leaning against them, angry tears in her eyes.

"Sailor Moon wouldn't lose to you! There's no way! Just no way!" she snarled.

Her outburst seemed to have given the others hope, as well as broken the silence spell. Endymion wondered briefly if there was something special about Molly, but Jupiter let out a bark of laughter, interrupting his thought,

"She's right! No way in hell would Moony give in to you! I bet she kicked your ass good, eh, Malachite!" she paused dramatically, "No, wait, I can see the answer already! She did get you! She got you good!" she crowed.

Malachite merely smiled at her, though his eyes were cold and dangerous, "Believe what you want, peasants."

"Peasants?" spluttered Mars angrily.

"I believe in her!" Molly yelled, eyes blazing, "She'll come for us! Just you wait and see!"

Endymion ground his teeth. Molly was right. He had to believe in her. He loved her, trusted her to still be alive. Because the alternative was just too horrible to bear thinking about.

"Hn." Malachite merely grunted, the smug look growing. "Permission to excuse myself, your Majesty?"

Beryl nodded without taking her eyes of the crystal in her hand, "Yes, yes, go."

Malachite walked slowly from the room.

Venus let out a strange sound as he left. Endymion glanced at her. He had forgotten that while he loved his men like brothers, the girls had been their lovers. How much more painful was it for them?

Out in the centre Nephrite cleared his throat, "If you please, your Majesty, I'll go get the Tsukino girl."

Beryl was sitting again, but still fascinated with the jewel in her hands. Endymion watched with slight revulsion as she turned it over and over in her hands.

"Of course, dear boy, of course. Of you go. As I said earlier, teleport straight back. Take a crystal should you need it." She waved a hand dismissively.

The crystal glittered in her hands as Nephrite left the room.

"It's ok." Breathed Mars quietly, "They only have two crystals. Luna has the others, remember?"

Suddenly Beryl's eyes were on her, "Did you say something, Sailor Mars?"

Mars merely glared at her, and Beryl continued airily, "Because I thought I heard you say that we only have two crystals in our possession. I'm sorry to have to disillusion you like this, but..."

She flicked a hand and four more humanoid monsters entered; all female, all different colours, all with wings, all scantily dressed and walking in pairs. In between them they dragged two very familiar figures dressed in white.

"Luna! Artemis!" cried the scouts.

And indeed the two cats, in human form, hung limply between the monsters. Endymion could see bruises on Luna's face, and that was definitely blood on Artemis' shirt.

Beryl was smiling now, the look of triumph in her gloating face making him sick.

All eyes were drawn to her as she made a strange gesture in the air in front of her. A dark mist formed around her fingers, coiling and furling in the currents made by her jewelled digits. And in that dark mist seven jewels took shape, hovering in mid air, spinning slowly on the spot.

The Seven Rainbow Crystals.

* * *

Serena let go, letting all the anger, pain, horror, fear and frustration of the last few months out, sobbing brokenly for some time on that park bench. No one stopped to see if she needed help, no one asked her if she was ok, and that made her cry harder. Where was the kindness in the world?

Later, if asked, she would never admit to bawling in public like that. It just wasn't done. After a while, she simply sat there, exhausted and numb, crystalline eyes staring at nothing, ears hearing nothing.

Then it occurred to her that she should probably _do_ something. She managed a weak, wry laugh at herself,

"Ha, Serena, good one. Break down when everyone needs you most. You idiot." She muttered, even as she stood and put her long legs to good use, striding home with speed.

After a shower and a change of clothes she felt considerably more human. She didn't have the energy to blow dry her hair or do her make up, so she sat down at the dining room table and made a mental list of things to do.

_Go see if the treasures are still safe at the shrine. _She should be able to use one of them to open a gate to the Negaverse to rescue her friends.

_Find Luna. Hope to hell she wasn't taken too. _She really, really, needed the crystals.

"There you are!" A male voice startled her out of her thoughts and she leapt to her feet, swinging in her fist at the man that had snuck up behind her.

* * *

"Oh no. No. No, no, no, no, no!" cried Jupiter staring at the Lunar Agents and the Crystals.

"What have you done to them?" snarled Venus, slamming her hands into the bars in frustrated rage.

The four women dropped the two Lunar Agents to the ground. Endymion winced as Artemis' head slammed into the hard stone floor.

"They only put up a token effort." Beryl informed them triumphantly, "My Doom and Gloom Girls certainly knew where and how to strike."

Zoisite shifted and whispered, "The Doom and Gloom Girls are the most powerful monsters here. If we get out of this, remember that anything that is humanoid is much more powerful than anything that is not."

Endymion and the girls acknowledged him with nods, or in Jupiter's case, a grunt.

"I'm sorry," Beryl apologised to the rest of the room, "You must all be very confused. These crystals were hidden inside members of the human race-"

"I know that!" Shrieked Reika in horror, "That man with the white hair tried to take one from me! Sailor Moon and that man over there stopped him! You're the one Sailor Moon warned me about! You're the one that is going to take over our world and destroy it!"

The last vestiges of Beryl's glamour, still clinging to her even after several of the humans present recognised Darien, dropped. While she was still darkly beautiful, no one in the room hung on her every word now. In fact, he saw several of them step away from the bars in horror.

Beryl stopped trying to be polite, and was on her feet in an instant, her face a snarl of rage, "you pathetic, stupid, ignorant humans!" she roared, and the ground shook under them, knocking several of the prisoners to the floor.

"I am Queen of the Negaverse, and rightful Queen of Earth! I will rule your planet! I have the Rainbow Crystals, I have your Generals," this was spat at Endymion, "and I will soon have the little princess you persist in believing in as well as the Moon Scout who is so obviously her protector!"

"You're insane!" Molly yelled, "The Sailor Scouts aren't going to let you do this!"

Several voices agreed loudly with her and Beryl threw back her head and laughed.

She looked at the humans, "Would you like to see how powerful the scouts are? Shall I show you just how big the gap between them and I is?"

She flicked her fingers and three of the Doom and Gloom girls moved to the cell that held Endymion and the Scouts. The fourth followed after receiving a ring of dark metal keys from Jadeite.

Three stood back, their eyes glowing and dark power cracking around their hands in a warning as the fourth opened the gate and spoke in a low guttural voice, "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Come out. And don't try anything."

Endymion and Zoisite exchanged helpless glances as the girls were led out into the centre of the room and forced to kneel in a row in front of Beryl.

"Legendary Warriors, the Sailor Scouts, you know." Beryl said conversationally as she sat in her throne again, crossing her legs and getting comfortable, "Stories are still told about them in the far reaches of the Galaxy. And not just these Scouts we see before us, either. There are others, you know. Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time. Sailor Neptune, Sea Goddess, Sailor Saturn the Scout of Death and Destruction and the Wind Goddes, Sailor Uranus. People talk about them still, even though no one has seen them for over a thousand years."

She leaned forwards suddenly, eyes intent on the girls, "But the great weakness of the Sailor Scouts has always been their transformation wands."

Endymion felt another low sweep of frustrated anger; Beryl was going to take the transformation wands! Beside him Zoisite swore in an uncharacteristic show of anger.

"I already have Sailor Mercury's wand." Beryl sais softly, and the wand appeared in the air next to her, revolving slowly on the spot. "Come here, Mercury."

Amy refussed silently, and had to be dragged forward to kneed facing her friends and family, her back to Beryl. She looked at her mother, who wasn't surprised at all. Her mother smiled, and nodded once. She had already known, Amy realised in amazement, and accepted her.

Amy shut her eyes, trying to stop the tears falling, and hung her head. Without her uniform she was just another prisoner. Voices called to her, she heard Melvin, and Miss Haruna, and her friends from school. They were surprised, it seemed. She ignored what they said, and stood there for several seconds in abject misery before Beryl spoke again.

"Next."

Mars was forced to stand beside her, and again Beryl spoke, and again a crack of thunderous magic revealed her for who she truly was. Her wand joined Amy's next to Beryl. Unlike Amy, Raye didn't stay quiet.

"Yes!" She yelled at Chad, at her friends, "Yes! I'm Sailor Mars! I've been fighting to keep you safe! You know me! I am your friend, so trust me! Ignore everything this woman tells you! She is a liar, and a thief, and evil to the core-"

She would have gone on for some time, but the blue Doom and Gloom Girl slammed her fist into Raye's stomach and she doubled over before collapsing, coughing and in pain. Amy knelt next to her and wrapped her arms around her, finding that her fiery friend was shaking as much as she was.

Jupiter did not stand, and when the Doom and Gloom Girl tried to force her, she got a face full of fist and an earful of Jupiter's finest and most creative swearing. But another of the female monsters joined the first and Jupiter was forced to stand and face her friends. Another crack of thunder and the Amazonian woman was wearing jeans and a t shirt, and lashing out at the two girls holding her, before she too was hit in the stomach and fell to her knees. Amy and Raye reached for her, pulling her into their group hug.

Venus stood and faced her friends without being told to, and she spoke before Beryl.

"I am Sailor Venus, leader of the Scouts."

There was a crack, and Mina stood there in her mini skirt, heeled boots and floaty top, "And I am Minako Aino. I won't give in to you." This last was directed at Beryl as she knelt by her team.

Beryl smiled, "And yet with a simple spell I can force you to become the powerless beings you truly are."

The blue Doom and Gloom Girl picked the four wands from the air and placed them in a black chest that was being held by one of the guards. The red one pulled the crystals from the air and placed them in a similar box held by yet another guard.

Beryl stood, "I will leave you to think about your position. Think well. You have no chance of escape from here. Your Scouts are powerless, you are trapped both in these cells and this castle. So i suggest you think about who is missing. Who is the common thread among you? Only when you give me Serenity will I let you go."

"And if we don't?" snarled Molly, who Endymion was really starting to admire for her spunk.

Beryl smiled. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees and they all shivered, "Then you die."

She turned to go, her escort turning with her, including the two guards holding the chests.

But there was a loud _whoosh_ sound and she turned back. All eyes went to the centre of the dais where a black vortex had appeared, not far from where the girls crouched. It was large, twice as high as a tall man, and three times as wide. It coiled and roiled in on itself and Endymion _felt _the darkness emanating from it, just as he _felt _the darkness emanating from Beryl.

"Ah," Beryl said happily, "Nephrite is tying up loose ends."

A figure came sailing through the vortex, flying several metres about the ground; head and shoulders first, as if flung by an incredible force. He watched in horror as she arched high over head and slammed down into the hard floor, sliding for several metres before stopping against one of the cells, the cell containing Molly, Melvin, and Miss Haruna.

There was silence as Nephrite followed her through the vortex and then shut it behind him. He had a bloody nose and a black eye.

Serena Usagi Tsukino sat up, took a look around and leapt to her feet. Her hair was out; she was wearing jeans, black heels and a black singlet shirt, and didn't have a mark on her.

Jadeite chuckled into the silence, "Looks like she got you good, Nephrite."

Endymion watched Serena flick her glance from him, to the huddled group of girls, to the two unconscious Lunar Agents before finally resting her gaze on Beryl.

He saw her gaze widen, saw her face go pale. But she clenched her jaw and said to the room at large in a loud, angry voice,

"Just what the fuck is going on?"

**

* * *

AN: So... just what the fuck is going on? Hm... ya know I'm not entirely sure myself. And I am so sick of writing 'Doom and Gloom'. Next chapter, they get names. (nods to self and makes a note) Yep, names. **

**Thanks to all my LOVERLY reviewers, you guys made me chew this out in double time. It's a little longer than last chapter; hope those of you who want longer chapters are happier with this. **

**Um... it feels a little less polished than normal... so I might sit on it a few days and work it a bit better... So hopefully by the time you read this I will have gotten rid of all those annoying little mistakes etc. **

**As always, check my homepage (Livejournal) for status and previews of the next chapter, and don't forget to check my DA page too! Itd be great to see which of you are on there as well. **


	16. Shadows of the Past

**AN:** **HUGE plot hole that I had to fix last chapter. So its fixed. Thanks so much to anon reviewer Noobility for reminding me about it (blushes) silly mistake to make! Interesting that you were the only one to spot it... Ok, on with the show. Lots of dialogue here, sorry. Next chapter the battles start, so be prepared. ^_^**

**Swearing in chapter. You be warned. **

**Also, I don't own, never have owned and probably (sad face) never will own these characters. So there. **

********Also, I'm forewarning everyone that for the month of November this story will be on Hiatus. This is because I will be taking part in NANOWRIMO (go look it up if you ever want to write a novel). And will need all my time and creativity for that. As soon as November ends you can expect updates. It's a little way away yet and I am hoping to upload at least two more chapters between now and then. Wish me luck! ********

**

* * *

Shadows of the Past**

Inside Serena was panicking. The girls, without their transformations, Luna and Artemis obviously unconscious, Endymion looking angrier than she'd ever seen him, and Beryl. Beryl, her old nemesis. Beryl, who was looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows...

But no recognition. Beryl didn't know her.

Serena tried not to let her puzzlement show and thought quickly. _I need to know if Malachite was bluffing to throw me off or if he really does know... _

There was utter silence for several seconds after her exclamation, then-

"Serena!" Her father scolded, "Don't use such language!"

Someone guffawed. She was pretty sure it was Hayate.

Nephrite was smiling through his bloody nose, "Queen Beryl, may I present our loose end, Miss Tsukino?" he made a gallant gesture that had Serena's lip curling.

Beryl moved forwards, seeming to glide over the dark stone floor. Serena scooted back as far as she was able.

Beryl reached for her chin, but Serena slapped her hand away. The loud crack of the slap echoed for a minute.

Beside Endymion, Zoisite hissed in a horrified tone, "That's gonna make her-"

Beryl flicked her hand upwards with a sharp, abrupt movement. Serena was jerked off the floor by some invisible force and hung in the air for an instant before Beryl made another flicking movement and Serena was slammed backwards into the steel bars of a cage. The occupants cried out in horror as the cage door buckled with the impact. Serena let out a strange 'oh!' sound and blood dribbled from her mouth.

Endymion wasn't the only one who let out a horrified noise at this; he heard Kenji and the girls cry her name, but didn't dare take his attention away.

Beryl held her there, pinching two fingers together. Serena's legs kicked against the bars, her eyes bulging and her mouth gaping; he realised with horror Beryl was choking her.

"Stop it!" Molly was screaming, he heard through the blood pounding in his ears, "Oh, stop it, please, stop!"

There was a brief scuffle on the dais as all four girls struggled with their captors, desperate to come to their friend's aid. But the return of Malachite (who entered the room with a clean uniform on, took in the situation in a glance and jerked Mina to a halt) and Nephrite (who knocked Lita's legs out from under her and then held her down as she tried to reach Serena) along with the Doom and Gloom Girls, meant they were severely outnumbered and unable to help.

Over against the wall, Beryl leaned in close to the gasping Serena, her nose inches away from Serena's face, and what she said Endymion didn't hear.

Serena, however, did, even through her panic at not being able to breathe.

"Now, are you going to play nicely, dear?"

All she could do was nod, her vision was blurring and she couldn't feel her feet. _I'm going to kill you, bitch._ She thought with a mental snarl.

Beryl stepped back with a sneer, "Good."

She dropped her, opening her fingers even as she turned away. Serena's feet hit the ground but her legs buckled underneath her, and she slid down to the floor. Molly's arms reached through the bars to lower her slowly, for which she was grateful, she would have landed on her tailbone if her friend hadn't caught her.

"Now, you my dear are an interesting one." Beryl spoke in a loud enough voice for everyone to hear, walking away from Serena and Endymion felt his insides freeze; could she know?

"You must know Princess Serenity very well; she's left a mark on you, a strong one."

Serena was too busy taking great gulp full's of air to respond. Endymion saw the girls looking at her in astonishment.

He was surprised himself. Then he remembered the aura suppression spells she'd been using. It made sense, that Beryl could only sense a stain on Serena, because that was all Serena was _allowing _her to sense. He felt a thrill of hope for the first time since he'd seen the Queen. _Maybe we'll get out of this alive after all. _

Beryl spun dramatically to face Serena, "Tell me, girl, who is Princess Serenity? Where is she hiding?"

The whole area fell silent, waiting for the blond. Serena coughed a couple of times, swiped the blood from her chin and then lifted her head a little, glaring through her fringe at the red headed queen.

Then, very slowly, she smiled. It wasn't a smiled Endymion ever wanted to see on her face again, the smile was cruel and twisted, it made her look sinister.

And, just as slowly, she raised the middle finger of her right hand and flipped Beryl off.

_Oh... shit. _Endymion admired her spunk, really, he did, but couldn't she have chosen a better time?

Serena took the split second chance to glance at Malachite. He was watching her with amazement and anger, but there was no recognition in his face.

_So he _was_ bluffing. _Relief washed through her, cool and clean like a cold shower after a hot day.

Beryl's face went white, then red and she was lifting a hand to perform another spell when Jadeite spoke, "Allow me, your majesty." His voice was soft and cold, and Endymion saw Mars flinch as he spoke.

Endymion slammed his hand against the railings as Jadeite strode across the room and grabbed Serena by the front of her shirt, lifting her to her feet.

"Let me explain something," he growled at her, giving her a little shake, "You're in the Negaverse. You have no hope of getting home. No hope of surviving. Unless you help us, that is. Then we can send you all home. Safe and sound. All you need to do is tell us where Serenity is."

"Don't tell him, Serena!" Mina shrieked, fighting Malachite's hold on her arms, "Don't tell them anything!" Malachite let out a growl and used a leg to knock her to the ground.

Serena looked past Jadeite, to where Mina was now crying on the floor, and then transferred her gaze to Beryl.

"I don't know who you're talking about. Let us go."

Beryl sighed, "Chain her up, Jadeite, here in the centre." She turned to the Doom and Gloom Girls, "Apitha, Enigma, Vicera, Malady, I will let you come and question them later. You can start with her." here she shot Serena a vicious glance. Serena returned it full force.

The four Doom and Gloom Girls looked delighted by this news, their smiles revealing sharp pointed teeth on all of them. Endymion shuddered.

"For now, put the ex-sailors back in their cell. They are as helpless as the rest. Malachite."

"Ma'am?"

"You will accompany the two chests to the citadel and ensure that they are guarded properly. Jadeite."

"Your Majesty?" gave Serena a shake as he spoke and she turned her baleful gaze to him.

"You will be responsible for these prisoners. Do what you wish with them, but keep them alive until we don't need them anymore." She handed him a large ring of keys that jangled as he clipped them to his belt.

"Of course, your majesty."

"Nephrite."

"Yes, Milady?"

"Go clean yourself up."

"...Yes Milady."

With that Beryl turned and she and her guards left the room, followed closely by Nephrite and Malachite, the latter carrying the two chest containing the wands and the crystals. Apitha, Enigma, Vicera and Malady carted the girls back into their cell with little difficulty, where Zoisite scooped Amy up and held her tightly. Endymion didn't take his attention off Jadeite and Serena.

Jadeite began to drag/carry the blond towards the dais, where Endymion could now see metal loops set into the floor. Serena made it as difficult as she could for him, refusing to carry her own weight and sitting down, so he had to drag her quite literally across the floor.

Two of the Doom and Gloom Girls left immediately after dealing with the scouts, and the other two picked up the unconscious Lunar Agents and dumped them unceremoniously in the same cell as the Tsukino's.

Endymion watched Serena stalling with Jadeite, wondering what she was up to. He saw her gaze follow the last two girls out the door; saw her steel herself as the door shut.

Afterwards he was never able to describe exactly what she did; only that she moved with a speed his eyes couldn't follow and Jadeite flew backwards, landing on his rear with a startled "wha-?"

Serena straightened and glared at him. He was on his feet again in a moment, and charged her, hands clenched in fists, "You stupid girl, don't make this harder than it already is!" he bellowed.

Serena ducked his first punch, coming up from her crouch with a sharp uppercut before dropping to all fours and swinging a leg out, knocking him over again.

Everyone was yelling now, the noise was deafening in the enclosed stone space. Endymion didn't bother yelling, but watched carefully. She wasn't fighting with her usual speed or power. What was she up to?

Apparently she didn't plan it well enough because the next instant Jadeite had sent a bolt of dark power at her that knocked her flat on her back, unconscious.

The yelling redoubled, but Endymion slumped against the grate, watching him conjure black chains from thin air and shackle her to the floor, locking the shackles with a large black key from a ring on his belt.

Then the young General stood, looked around, the look on his face silencing them as effectively as Beryl's silence spell some minutes before.

"Now, be good prisoners." He said softly, "and no one else will get hurt."

And out he strode, shutting the doors behind him.

Silence reigned. Endymion glanced around, most people were watching Serena.

No one said anything for the longest of times, and then a small voice spoke.

"I don't understand." It was Melvin, gripping the bent bars of his cage and looking at the floor, "I don't understand. Can someone please explain WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

"Be silent, silly human." Snapped a voice Endymion recognised.

"Luna!" he cried with relief, "You're awake!"

And indeed the beautiful Lunarian was sitting up, rubbing her head and looking irritated. There was silence as she checked on Artemis, and apparently satisfied with his condition, she moved to the front of the cell.

"If you will allow me, I will explain." Luna said, moving so she was sitting at the bars of the cage and her voice carried around the room, "I ask only that you leave all your questions till the end."

There was a murmur of agreement and Endymion sat, without taking his eyes of the unconscious form of his lover.

"A thousand years ago there was a time that has since been erased from history. It was called the Silver Millennium. During that time the Earth was ruled over as an entire kingdom; none of the silly countries and republics and mini-kingdoms that you see today. The entire Earth was ruled over by one wise king, and his queen, King Terra and Queen Esmeralda. And there were other kingdoms too. Most notably, that of the Moon. The Lunarians were a great society-"

"No one ever lived on the moon!" interrupted Daisuke in astonished irritation, "It's not possible!"

Luna glared across at him and he fell silent, "As I was saying, the Lunarians were a great and peaceful society. They cherished life above all else, and were magical beings. It was largely thanks to their magic that the Earth and the several lesser kingdoms of our galaxy lived in peace for as long as they did, for the Queen of the Moon had a crystal, an immensely powerful, pure magical object that allowed her to heal and achieve great magical feats. It was called the Imperial Silver Crystal."

Luna paused for a second to gather her thoughts, her eyes straying to the unconscious girl in the middle of the room.

"It so happened that the King and Queen of Earth had a son. They named him Endymion. Yes, like the Greek myth. He was such a son as any mother and father would wish for; loyal, courageous, intelligent and loving. It also happened that Queen Selenity of the Moon bore a child too. A girl, she was named Serenity. She too was a breed apart, such a gentle, loving child, but with an iron will to protect her people. These two royal children grew up to be strong and just adults with a small group of trusted friends each. For Serenity, it was the Sailor Scouts, her body guards and sisters in all but blood. For Endymion it was the Four Generals, his blood brothers."

Endymion saw the glances being thrown their way and tried to look princely, even though he was blushing at her praise.

Luna glanced around, "I can see the questions in your eyes. So let me try and answer them now, I know all this because I was there. So was Artemis, who you see sleeping here. And the four girls that were just revealed to you as Sailor Scouts and the man you all know as Darien Shields, as well as the man you see standing next to him. We were all there, a thousand years ago."

"You're immortal?" Melvin asked hesitantly.

Luna snorted, "Hardly. Let me tell you the story. Even though we lived in a time of peace, and we were the closest of neighbours, the Moon and the Earth did not have a good political relationship. So, in his twentieth year, Prince Endymion and his Generals went to the Moon on a diplomatic mission. While they were there they met Princess Serenity and the Sailor Scouts."

"Let me guess." Hayate drawled, "They fell in love."

Luna blinked at him, "How did you know?"

"That's always how the story goes. Keep going."

"Well, yes, the Sailor Scouts and the Generals fell in love pretty much straight away. It took Endymion and Serenity a little longer, but they fell just as hard."

"But..." Hayate drawled again.

Luna shot him a glance, "_But_ there was a woman on earth, a seer, named Beryl." She nodded at the ripple of gasps that ran around the room, "Yes the same woman you saw today. Beryl was deeply in love with Endymion, and had even managed to get his parents to agree to an engagement. When she found out he loved Serenity, she decided that Serenity had coerced him to her, and began to practice dark magic as a means of getting him back. When that failed, she tried several times to kill Serenity and failed. So at last, in desperation, she unleashed a horror long thought forgotten. The Negaverse."

The silence that rung at that word seemed to hurt Endymion ears.

Luna's face was a picture of pain as she continued, "We were not undefended. The Imperial Silver Crystal was a weapon as well as an instrument of peace. The Sailor Scouts were more powerful then than they are now. Endymion and the Generals wielded magical swords the liked of which will not be seen again. Serenity herself was an accomplished mage and psychic. Yet, it took us by surprise. We had grown complacent, I think, all of us, with the possible exception of Serenity. The Negaverse attacked both Earth and the Moon at once, and we stood no chance. We dealt them some serious blows, but Beryl brainwashed Endymion's Generals, and one by one, we all died. I don't know everything that happened at the end, but Queen Serenity used the Imperial Silver Crystal to send us all into the future, hoping we would be able to live in peace." She sighed, "Obviously, that hasn't happened."

She didn't seem willing to continue so Endymion took over, "The Negaverse retreated to their dimension, that is, here, to lick their wounds and recharge. The evil power in this place is terrible, and they have slowly gathered it over a thousand years and are now using to attack earth. The men that you saw, Malachite, Nephrite and jadeite, they were my Generals once, but they have spent a thousand years in this place. Zoisite, here, has returned to us, but I am losing hope for the others. You see, when Queen Serenity used the Crystal, it did two things, firstly, it killed her; that's how powerful it is, and secondly, it split into seven crystals of different sizes and shapes."

"The rainbow crystals." Supplied Reika, frowning, "Why did I end up with one inside me?"

Endymion shrugged, "I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Why do they want Earth then?" demanded Andrew, "I thought she only wanted Endymion?"

Luna sighed, "There is another, darker being at work here. Her name is Metallia and she is evil itself. She has long held a grudge against the Moon and earth for banishing her to this place, centuries even before The Silver Millennium, and she's out for revenge. It is my belief that Beryl is being used by her. Not that I feel sorry for her, of course!"

"So these rainbow crystals, that she's got now... what's the deal there? Can you make them back into the Silver Crystal thingy?" asked Daisuke.

Luna sighed, "Yes, we can, but only with the help of Princess Serenity. She is the only one that can use the Imperial Silver Crystal, and the crystal is the only thing that can stop the Negaverse."

"And do you know where she is?" asked Miss Haruna a trifle desperately.

Luna's glance shifted towards Serena just for and instant and Endymion felt a thrill of surprise, she knew!

"I think I have an idea or two, yes." Luna said softly, looking down at her hands.

"How?" Amy asked suddenly, from the circle of Zoisite's arms, "How does she combine them, Luna? Is it a spell, or... what?"

Luna thought for a second, "There is a poem, a legend, about what would happen if the crystal ever shattered. It goes like this,

_When all else fails and gone is the light,_

_And moonchild needs aid to complete her fight,_

_The child of the Moons final stand _

_Need but only hold out her hand _

_In her heart Loves Pure Light_

_Will help her exercise her birth right_

_But careful now in your quest _

_Lest this one fall into eternal rest_

_A mix of Lunar blood and tears_

_Will create that which will allay all fears_

_Seven Crystals will become one _

_With its radiance evil she will shun_

_The ancient orb of awesome power _

_From whence silver blessings shower._

"I really, really don't like the sound of that." Muttered Raye.

"Ok, so let me get this straight, ya know, since I might die and all, I'd like to make sure I understand _why_ I'm dying, see?" Hayate spoke again, "So, you guys were once part of an ancient mythical kingdom, you got attacked and you died, but a magic lady sent you forward in time, and now you're fighting the same evil again, looking for the magic lady's daughter so she can kick the bad guys bootie back to where they came from. Am I right?"

Luna seemed a little deflated, "You just dumbed down a thousand years of history." She moaned.

There was a beat of silence as everyone digested the story.

"Ow! Next time the bad guy gets a nasty kick where the sun don't shine straight away! No more miss nice girl!" a very familiar voice growled from the centre of the room.

Serena sat up with a groan and rubbed her head. The air was immediately thick with questions as to her health and she waved them away, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

She peered down at her chains, "Oi, Oi, this isn't any fun." She gave them an experimental jerk, but all they did was rattle.

"So..." Serena said, looking around at everyone, "now we all know what's going on, shall we get the f- I mean, get the hell out of here?"

"Oh, sure, meatball head, how are we gonna do that?" Raye snapped at the blond.

Serena blinked at her, "Well, I thought we'd use the big assed door they built for the Nega monsters, yeah? They can't all open portals like those bastard generals."

Endymion's jaw wasn't the only jaw that dropped. He recovered first though, and glanced around at everyone else. Most of them were staring at her in slack jawed astonishment, her apparent lack of concern with the situation boggling their minds.

But Serena's eyes were twinkling, and Endymion wasn't the only one to notice.

"Oi, oi, oi..." Hayate drawled, leaning against the bars with his arms hanging out, "What'cha grinning about, kiddo?"

Serena arched an eyebrow at him, her grin becoming more and more pronounced, "I figured it was time to get outta here. Who's coming?"

"Um, hello, meatball head, we're all locked up. That might make it a bit hard to get outta here." Lita called across to her.

"Oh, ye of little faith. Did you think I kicked Jadeite around because I wanted to be knocked unconscious?" Serena shook her head, "Tut, tut."

She stood up, kicking the chains away. They coiled over themselves and slid away from her, no longer attached.

There was a beat of silence, and Serena stretched, straightening her limbs.

"Now, you guys probably deserved to be released by Sailor Moon in all her kick ass glory," Her lip twitched and Endymion found himself smothering a chuckle, "But I'm afraid the talents of a second-rate pick pocket will have to do for now."

She held up a ring of keys, the same keys that Beryl had given Jadeite earlier.

The silence continued, and then her father made a strange, gurgling, strangled sound.

"Sorry, Dad, what was that?"

Her mother patted her husband's arm and said calmly, "He'd like to know where you learnt to pickpocket. And-" her gaze hardened, "So would I."

Serena pointed at Hayate who suddenly didn't look so mug, "Ay, Ay! Thanks Serena, dob me in, why don'tcha?"

Indeed, Serena's parents were now glaring at Hayate who was shrinking back in his cell.

"Well hurry up and-" Raye began,

"Shhhh!" Serena held up a hand, her eyes going wide, before diving at the chains and clapping them around her ankles and wrists again, though she didn't click them shut, before flopping over on her side in an excellent replication of unconsciousness.

The great double doors opened and Jadeite entered to complete silence. Endymion wondered how Serena had heard him.

Jadeite glanced around with a raised eyebrow, "My, you're a quiet lot, aren't you?"

No one answered. He rolled his eyes and strolled across the room to the unconscious form of Serena.

The room held its breath.

Serena, eyes shut and carefully still felt him nearby and tried very, very hard to look asleep. A hand rested on her shoulder for a second and a low – too low for anyone else to hear- voice spoke,

"Hey, Miss, I don't know who you are, or how come you're involved in all this, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry about all this. But I really need those keys back."

Serena snapped her eyes open and peered up at him, and those bright blue eyes, blazing out of that face were so familiar he let out a cry and leapt backwards, out of his crouch to land on his rear a little way away.

"You- You!" He cried incoherently.

Serena did a mental eye roll and sat up, peering at him. He _felt_ strange. Was it possible...?

She kicked the shackles off before standing, even as he did. For an instant they stood there, staring at each other in wide eyed astonishment.

Then, Serena grinned, "You sneak. Sailor Moon and the others did get through to you."

General Jadeite smiled, before bowing. As he bowed the dark uniform he had been wearing shimmered and change. No longer a collection of dark colours, he now stood in a blindingly white uniform with gold accents and short cape that draped over one shoulder.

"Jadeite!" Cried Zoisite happily, leaning against the bars, "You remembered!"

Jadeite turned towards him, his face full of regret, "I'm sorry I could not help you, Zoisite, Mercury. I was not allowed near you. Beryl feared your 'brainwashing' was contagious." He made air quotes on the word 'brainwashing' before stiffening his shoulders and bowing deeply to Endymion.

"My Prince, I am not worthy to serve you any longer, but I hope you will allow me to escort you and all of these people out of here."

Endymion stuck his hands on his hips and snorted, his eyes twinkling in a merry fashion that Serena had rarely seen. She too was grinning like a fool, though when she glanced at Raye, who was staring at Jadeite with a strange mix of horror, joy and apprehension on her face, her grin dimmed a bit.

"I will be the judge of who is worthy to serve, thank you very much, General. You are worthy, you always have been. No, don't argue with me. Now, are you going to get us out of here?"

Jadeite looked at Raye for one long second. She looked away first, and Mina reached out and squeezed her hand. Jadeite's shoulders slumped a little, but he turned back to Serena.

"The keys?" he asked, holding out his hand. Serena deposited half of the keys from the ring in his palm, with a reassuring smile.

They worked quickly, unlocking the gates around the room. Serena's mother dived at her and pulled her into a hug, followed quickly by her father and brother. Serena laughed and hugged them back. She had been more worried than she would have liked to admit about them.

Something cold and smooth clamped around her wrist. She looked down to see a pale silver band with three small stones embedded in its delicate surface.

She looked up and met Luna's eyes. The Lunar Agent was watching her calmly.

Endymion called everyone forward, and her parents and brother moved past her to listen.

"What's this?" she asked Luna quietly, peering at the three stones. One was clear, a diamond? Another was quartz, and the third was... well, she didn't know.

"I'm protecting you. _Princess_."

Luna's words were a blow that felt like she had been sucker punched, "What?" she gasped.

Luna glared at her, "You will not fight this battle, Serenity." She hissed softly, "You will let the scouts protect you as they are meant to. That bracelet has sealed your three forms, princess, scout and agent. It cannot be removed, and while wearing it you cannot transform."

**

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An: and Luna has a beef to pick with her princess. I would too; if I found out she's been keeping HUGE secrets like that. And the reason for having Hayate as a character becomes apparent. ^_^ So he could a) save Serena's life before the story began and b) teach her to pickpocket. **

**And perhaps Serena is a little out of character in this chapter... or not really, she's feeling reckless and angry so I guess I don't blame her. **

**Also, the Generals all have different uniforms, and I'll be uploading some pictures of them onto my deviant art account in the near future. Speaking of deviantart, it seems ill need to upload a thx for 300 reviews soon! Wow you guys are awesome! Thanks so much! 148 favourites and 199 alerts! Wow! I'm totally blown away! **

**Anon reviewers: **

**Sashoyio: thanks for the review! Here's the requested update! **

**Noobility: Thanks for the review, and for pointing out that embarrassing plot hole! Also, thanks for the lovely things you said; I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! **

**Mina: Thanks for the review! I always felt Molly should get more 'screen time'. ^_^ **

**ChibaUsagiMC: Thanks for your kind review! Really? Thanks for the compliment! **

**Sammykoru: I have fixed it, now, and Uranus is mentioned. Poor girl, I feel bad I forgot her...**

**Sandy: Thanks for the review and here's the update! **


	17. Darkness and Light

**AN: Sorry for the lack of update, life caught up with me a bit in the last couple of weeks. For expediency I am going to skip over a fair amount of travel in the next few chapters, so I it seems glossed over or a bit rushed it's because I wanted to write a chapter with action instead of description. If you feel you want both let me know and I'll try to apply it next chapter. **

**I am extremely pleased to announce that I managed to finish Nanowrimo this year. What a marathon that was! But spending so long on another project has left me raring to go on APP again so hopefully we'll have a few more updates before Christmas. **

**Theme for the chapter: Preliator by Globus (awesome song!) **

**0_o Wow! Everyone hates Luna! (dances) She was never one of my favourite characters... Still, I feel a little bad for turning her into a idgit. This is the first time a character has elicited such hatred! 0_o Don't worry, she's not a REAL villain... **

**OVER THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS! THANKIES! To celebrate I drew a Serenity and Endymion pic and posted it on dev art. You can find it here; http:/ neonanimeprincess (.) deviantart (.) com/art/300-Reviews-Thanks-181796395?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Aneonanimeprincess&qo=1**

**With no spaces or brackets, of course. If you can't be bothered with the link head over to deviantart and look for NeonAnimePrincess – that's me. If you do bother to visit, leave a comment if you can! **

**On with the show!

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**

**Darkness and Light**

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"What are you talking about?" Hissed Serena as everyone else moved into a tight circle around Endymion and the two generals. She wasn't listening properly, being focused on the Lunar Agent in front of her, but she was fairly sure she heard the words 'escape', 'wands', 'crystals' and 'protect'.

Luna glared at her, "I am keeping you safe, Princess, since you seem to be unable to do that yourself. Malachite said you were _dead_. Now I assume that since you're alive you had another of your out of body experiences after being beaten to a pulp?"

Serena stayed silent. There had been no out-of-body experience this time, just waking up in a lot of pain.

Luna nodded in a satisfied manner, though her eyes were still burning, "I thought so."

"Luna," Serena whispered in desperation, "I'm the only one who can fight! I still have my sceptre and-"

"And I should trust you to take care of all of us?" Luna snorted, "Serena, you don't even take care of yourself. What, did you think I missed you baiting Beryl? Giving her the finger? _Really_ Serena!" she leaned closer, "And might I say that trust goes two ways, young lady? I've lived with you for _months_ and you never saw fit to tell me that you were the one I was looking for?"

Serena bit her lip, and reflected. Her actions recently had been reckless and dangerous. In a way Luna was right... "But, but, Luna!" she hissed, "We're in the Negaverse! The _Negaverse! _We can't rely on Endymion and the Generals; you have to let me fight! I'm the only one who can!"

Luna cocked her head to the side, her eyes suddenly sad. "What is it within you that makes you so _sure_ that all of this is your responsibility, young one?" she asked softly, "Why do you act as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders? You have people here who can help you. Why won't you let them?"

Serena blinked at her, "What are you talking about? I don't-"

"You do, Serena." Luna sighed, stepped forwards and hugged the girl, "Please, try and remember that you have allies here who will help you. I won't tell them who you are, that is up to you." She said softly into Serena's hair before turning and joining Artemis in the throng of people surrounding Endymion.

Serena stood where she was for several long seconds, digesting what Luna had said.

"The weight of the world, huh, Luna?" she whispered after a while, and then chuckled, a bitter, dry chuckle, "Of course it is. It _always_ _has been_."

With an irritated noise, she joined the group. Jadeite was in the middle of explaining to the 'normal' humans what his plan was now they were out of the cells.

"- for that reason we're going to move as quickly and as quietly as we can to retrieve the scouts transformation wands. After that we'll skedaddle as quickly as we can to the dark gate that Beryl has opened between the two worlds." Jadeite was speaking in a rushed manner.

"Did you just say skedaddle?" Hayate asked, while Daisuke snickered.

Jadeite blinked at them and Endymion suppressed a grin, "Jadeite's language is about a thousand years out of date." He patted the confused general on the back, "He hails from the times when gentlemen were really gentlemen."

There was a good-natured snort from Mina, "And you don't?"

He grinned at her, "Ok, let's g-"

The great double doors opened.

"Hey Jadeite, you in here? I-" Nephrite stopped and stared.

Serena's eyebrows shot up. Nephrite... seemed off...

Jadeite let out a swear word and dashed forwards, a strange sword appearing in his hands, but Nephrite sidestepped the swipe and caught him by the collar as he rushed past.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU REMEMBERED, YOU TWERP?" he bellowed at the blond, who flinched and dropped the sword.

"N-N-N-Nephrite?" he gurgled, eyes wide.

The taller man, still gripping his younger friend's shirt front, glowered at him with amused irritation, "This would have been so much easier if you had just told me already! I thought you were still a good little Nega-Minion!" He growled.

"W-when did you remember?" Jadeite gasped.

"After the defeat of the Shadow Warrior hidden in Peggy Jones, over there." Nephrite shot a glance at the meek painter.

"And you didn't tell me?" Jadeite squeaked in outrage.

Nephrite frowned at him, "You didn't tell me either!"

"Because you didn't tell me!" creaked Jadeite.

"No, because you didn't tell me!" snapped Nephrite.

Endymion doubled over laughing at the look on poor Jadeite's face, especially seeing as Nephrite's uniform had changed into his own version of the blinding-white uniform, complete with half cape and armour shoulder plates.

At the sound of the Prince's laughter, Nephrite froze and let go of his friend, turning a pale face to his Prince.

There was a beat of awkward silence, in which Serena didn't take her eyes off Lita, who seemed to be trembling with some suppressed emotion, which one, Serena couldn't tell. She bit her lip, again feeling guilt weigh on her. How much worse was it for her girls, who now had to deal with their boyfriends miraculous recoveries? In some ways, she thought bitterly, it might have been better if they hadn't recovered. Then she shook herself, telling herself off for that mad thought. How horrible of her.

Nephrite didn't bow like the others, but went down on one knee and held his left palm over his heart.

"My Lord. I beg your pardon for the wrongdoing I have wrought. I beg your forgiveness and ask you to indulge me as I repay the debt I owe."

Endymion sighed and shook his head, "You had my forgiveness before you asked for it, brother. And as Prince, I demand you return to my service at once, for as long as I require you. Which, in case you were wondering, is forever."

Nephrite stared at him, eyes wide, "Truly, milord?"

Endymion reached down and hauled his friend to his feet. "Truly. Now, let's get-"

The great doors opened again, and Malachite entered.

Silence and stillness reigned for several beats. Malachite took the situation in a glance, and his icy eyes flared with rage, "Traitors!" he bellowed, and flung a ball of dark energy at the group.

Luna flung up a shield of glowing yellow power, and the ball impacted it strongly, driving her back a few paces. She gritted her teeth and held on.

Jadeite flung himself forwards, out of the shield, "I'm sorry Malachite, but you'll remember too soon!" he cried, and drew his sword and bought the blade down.

Malachite blocked the blow easily.

Nephrite darted around behind the white haired man and muttered a spell. Malachite was turning to face him when it hit him in the side and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Silence reigned.

Mina let out a strange sound, a sigh or a sob, Serena wasn't sure, and ran to Malachite's side.

"He's alright." Nephrite assured her as Jadeite sheathed his sword, "It's just an enforced sleep spell."

Mina let out a breath of relief. Serena watched her lean over the unconscious man and trace a hand gently over his jaw.

"Well," Endymion broke the silence, for even the 'normal' humans were silenced by the pain in Mina's face, "we should move. Jadeite, lead the way to the transformation wands and crystals, please. Luna, you go with him in front. Nephrite, can you carry Mal for a bit?" the brunette nodded and moved to pick up the prone man, "Thanks. Everyone else, you need to follow Nephrite. Obey any commands he gives you immediately, you risk death if you don't." He received nods from all present, Serena remembering at the last minute that she was a 'normal' human too, and nodding along.

"Good." Endymion continued, "Zoisite and I will bring up the rear, with Artemis. Sound good?" affirmations from everyone. "Right. Be aware that there will be times when we have to split into smaller groups and move quietly."

"Question," Hayate called, holding up a hand like he was in class, "Um, why aren't most of us staying here while you ... 'special' folks head off and get ya stick things an' all?"

"I thought of that," Endymion conceded with nod, "but there's no guarantee that we could make it back, even with the girls transformed. I assumed the jewels and wands will be heavily guarded, so it's doubtful we'll retrieve them without being noticed."

Hayate nodded, "Fair enough."

They moved, slowly, out into the long empty corridor. The walls and ceilings and floor were all made of the same dark stone that was now becoming familiar. Along the walls a sconce with a light torch threw and eerie pale light over the corridor.

"Remember, humanoid means powerful. The less human it looks, the less we have to bother." Jadeite reminded everyone and pointed to a blob on the wall that Serena hadn't noticed before, "This is one of the monsters. It barely has a consciousness, and is no threat."

Everyone had tensed when he pointed it out, and now relaxed. Serena moved forward to peer at it. it was no bigger than her hand with her fingers spread and moved up the wall at the pace of a snail, leaving a gooey trail behind it.

She screwed up her nose. _Gross. _

"Serena!" hissed her mother, "Get away from it!"

Serena glanced over her shoulder at her mother and moved back to the group to walk beside Molly, who was gripping Melvin's hand tightly. She suppressed a snicker, and rolled her eyes at her mother when Molly glanced at her.

Molly giggled.

"Shhhh!" Snapped Raye irritably from ahead of them.

Serena rolled her eyes again and Molly ducked her head to keep her grin from showing.

The next few minutes passed slowly. Serena couldn't see much past Miss Haruna and Hayate, both of whom were walking in front of her. Molly nudged her a few times to get her attention but Serena ignored her. She wasn't about to explain the bracelet to her friend. She didn't really understand it herself.

She stopped paying much attention to her surroundings, and began an internal debate. Should she reveal herself? Jadeite had recognised her, she was sure. She glanced at the blond man, whose hair she could just see ahead. He wouldn't mention it if she didn't, she felt sure. He was an intelligent man, and patience was one of his virtues. He would wait and see what she did, she was sure.

The ground shook and several of them let out cried of fear. Serena staggered into Molly, trying to keep her balance on the shaking ground. The noise of the earth shaking around them deafened her, and she ended up on her knees, just like almost everyone else. The three conscious generals were still standing.

"Earthquake." Zoisite explained to everyone, "Happens a lot around here. Pay them no mind."

They continued on their way for some minutes in almost perfect silence.

"Hey, Serena." Lita appeared next to her, eyes guarded and voice soft. Serena started, she hadn't felt her approach.

"Hey there, _Sailor Jupiter_." She grinned, "What's up?"

Lita winced, "Well, I just wanted to... to let you know that... that I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you. You're my best friend, really, and I kept something like this from you. So... I'm sorry." Lita made and expansive gesture, and watched Serena's blue eyes, wondering what reaction she was going to get.

Serena smiled at her, "Lita, we all have secrets. Some are bigger than others, of course, but I understand you keeping it from me." _Ach, you think you're secret is big? Wait till you hear mine! _

Lita's shoulders relaxed and she offered her first friend in Tokyo a smile, "I thought it would be safer for you if I didn't tell you."

"We all thought that." Amy said softly from behind her, "And we're all sorry."

Raye, who was close enough to listen in without seeming to care too much, 'harrumphed', but her lips were twitching in a relieved smile.

Mina, who was walking a little behind Amy, nodded and said quietly, "I know we haven't been friends long, but I felt the same way."

"Come on, it's ok! Really!" Serena reassured them, "I understand, really, I do."

They nodded and separated again. She noticed that Amy moved back to Zoisite and Endymion, while Raye avoided even looking at Jadeite. Lita went back to staring at Nephrite as he carried Malachite and Mina seemed to be the only one on task. She was continuously scanning for threats. Serena guessed this was a way of keeping her busy.

For her part, Serena was feeling useless. She tried again to pull of the damn bracelet and met with no success. In the end she gave up. She had also given up keeping track of what direction they were going. But it was getting colder. Her bare arms now had goose bumps.

"Why haven't we seen any monsters yet?" she heard Endymion murmur from a way behind her. Apparently it was a rhetorical question because no one answered.

The silence stretched again as they moved slowly, stopping and starting often, splitting into smaller groups to cross large areas (usually cavernous rooms with a pit in the centre that Serena was sure for fighting, like a ring in boxing) a little at a time.

The decor changed over the next half an hour of skulking. The stone changed, becoming merely a dark porous rock like sandstone. The floor became uneven and the wrought pillars and sconces to be replaced by brackets and torches.

Finally, they began to climb. Several long, winding flights of stairs that had Gramps and Serena's dad wheezing. At the very top of the last staircase, there was a large wooden door that Jadeite carefully opened a crack to peer out. He and Luna conferred quietly while the rest of the group strained to listen, and then Jadeite pulled open the door and dashed out, Luna pulling it almost shut after him. A breath of fresh but icy air filled the stairwell and Serena shivered. _Cold! We must be in the polar regions of the Negaverse. Just as barren as the volcano fields, but in a different way. _

Luna turned to everyone else, "we're going to have to cross this courtyard in twos or threes. There are a few monsters out there. Not humanoid, but still dangerous enough. If you get caught, fight as best you can, and one of the boys or I will help you as soon as we are able."

It didn't sound very reassuring to Serena, and glancing at Molly she saw doubt on her friends face. Glancing around she looked at the doubt on everyone's faces. She clenched her fists. Damn Luna and her aristocratic ways! She was scaring them more than reassuring them!

"Fine." She bit out, and all eyes turned to her as she pushed her way forwards. "I'll go first."

Luna opened her mouth to protest, but Serena was already moving past her. She heard her mother and father start to say something, but then she was out the door, and sprinting across the surface of the icy courtyard, ignoring the gusts of snow that almost blinded her and the terrible biting chill that ate at her limbs. She skidded into the shadows in the darker side of the courtyard, startling Jadeite, who blended in almost perfectly with the snow in his white uniform.

He blinked at her, "Princess..."

"Shh!" she whispered, "No one knows, besides Endymion and Luna, that that's who I am. I'd be transformed and kicking all kinds of monster rear end but Luna's sealed my powers!" she showed him the bracelet.

"That's why you haven't transformed?" Endymion skidded to a stop beside her, peering at the bracelet and startling both his soul mate and blood brother. Glancing down at her bare arms he pulled off his cape – more a cloak than cape in his prince form, and dropped it over her shoulders, deliberately covering her head. Jadeite watched in amusement as the blond let out a squeak of surprise and struggled her way out from under the heavy cape to shoot a mock glare at Endymion.

"Just for that I'm keeping this." She told him primly. Which, of course, had been Endymion's intention all along.

Serena looked across the courtyard as she pulled the cape on, the rest of the group were coming, in twos and threes, little by little. When she spoke she kept her voice low, "I might need your help to get her to take it off me, if you can, boys. Or get it off yourselves, if you can?"

Jadeite peered at the bracelet for a second, aware of the approaching groups and shook his head, "It looks very Lunarian to me Princess. I don't think I'll be able to help you."

Endymion sighed, "If he can't then I doubt I can either, sorry darling. I'll try and convince Luna."

Serena smiled wearily, "It's ok, and it was a long shot anyway. Shhh. Here they come."

In twos and threes the entire group joined them with very little fuss. Serena's parents seemed to have a problem with her heading out on her own like that and chewed her out very thoroughly for several minutes in muted whispers until Endymion cut them short with a curt order to 'shut up and move.'

Now they were on the other side of the courtyard, they were able to choose a much more direct path to where the Crystals and Wands were being held. Thus far there had been no interference from monsters, and Serena was really starting to worry.

_Either this is all just a trap, which is unlikely since even Jadeite and Nephrite didn't know about each other, or... or the monsters have been sent somewhere else. _The possibilities made her skin crawl, _please, please, please not earth. _

Now they were outside, Serena wasn't the only one who was cold. Molly was shivering and Mina was trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

Jadeite waited patiently for them all to gather before speaking again,

"We're almost there." He told them quietly, "But for the next bit we're going to have to be outside. So we need to stay together and move quickly and _quietly._" Here he shot Serena's mother a look.

Twenty minutes – or thereabouts – of trekking through the icy wasteland outside of the courtyard and shivering uncontrollably they came to a huge, walled edifice that rose from the snow in a gray tower. Around the base of the tower rose a tall black wall, twice the height of a human. There didn't appear to be a gate or a door in it – it was nothing but smooth black stone.

"And how?" Hayate managed through a slight squeak, "do we get in there?"

The whole group gathered at the base of the wall silently, pressing themselves into the shadows.

Serena sidled up to Nephrite, a memory from long ago occurring to her, and nudged him playfully with her elbow. The tall man glanced down at her, threw a glance at the wall, and grinned.

"I've got an idea." He announced, and glanced at Endymion to ask permission. Endymion winced, the memories replaying in his mind too, but glanced at Serena's grin and sighed, nodding his head.

"It goes something like this." Nephrite added, handing the unconscious figure of Malachite to Endymion and crouching on one knee and interlacing his fingers, palms up by his knee at the base of the wall.

Jadeite and Zoisite recognised the move and their mouths dropped open.

"You're not..." Zoi began, shocked.

Serena had backed up several paces and now ran at Nephrite with as much speed as she could muster, and planted her right foot in his hands.

He stood, and shot her into the air. She sailed up, straight like an arrow, her nose about an inch from the wall, until she reached the zenith of her flight – coincidentally the height of the wall – and snapped out her arms, catching the top of the wall and twisting, kicking her legs over and disappearing from their sight.

Serena's mother and father immediately began to make a ruckus, and only stopped because both Zoisite and Jadeite clamped their hands over the couple's mouths.

"Shhh." Endymion hissed, "And trust your daughter for once, will you? We do." At this last statement he shot Luna a pointed look and the woman hunched her shoulders uncomfortably.

Lita had no compunctions about Serena's safety – she had seen the girl in action, after all, and was grinning, "That was awesome." She grinned at Nephrite before realising what she was doing and turning away, blushing furiously.

There was a soft grinding noise from the other side of the wall, and Hayate and Daisuke jumped back with shocked noises as the wall they were leaning against suddenly swung out towards them.

Everyone stared at the slowly opening door, and only a few of them were surprised when it opened fully to reveal Serena.

She grinned at them, "Miss me? Come on in. There aren't any guards – or at least not out here."

The whole group moved warily and silently into the snowy courtyard and Serena closed the great stone slab door behind them. It swung easily – a well used mechanism taking all its weight.

"Jewels and the transformation wands should be in there." Nephrite commented to Endymion as he took the prone form of Malachite back from his prince.

"Prince Endymion, the three Generals, Luna and I will go in and retrieve the crystals and the transformation wands." Artemis announced in a hushed voice and growled in a particularly feline fashion when all the sailor scouts immediately began to protest.

"Do not be foolish!" he snapped over their protests, "You will be nothing but deadweight inside there!"

The girls fell into a mutinous silence and the boys and Luna moved to the door of the tower. Serena stayed silent, though she felt the same as the girls about the boys and Luna going in without her. she glared at Luna as the cat-woman left and shot Endymion an entreating glance.

He nodded, and left with the others. Nephrite stopped long enough to drop Malachite unceremoniously on the ground, making Mina wince.

Serena flung herself to the icy ground to wait. Moll dropped down beside her, and Melvin followed suit. Hayate sat on her other side and groaned, rubbing his legs and groaning at the cold.

Melvin shook his head, his eyes on Lita, Amy, Raye and Mina.

"I thought meeting Sailor V was bad enough." He commented quietly, "But I just can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that you're all Sailor Scouts."

The four girls looked uncomfortable.

Miss Haruna rubbed her frozen face, "I can't believe I had two Sailor Scouts in my class and I had no idea. This whole thing is... it's impossible!" she burst out.

_three, actually, Miss H._ Serena thought wryly.

"Shhh!" hissed Hayate.

"Serena..." Daisuke spoke hesitantly, "That awful queen said you knew the princess, right?"

Serena sucked in a breath, and beside her Molly shifted.

"Don't know anyone who calls themselves Princess." She told them honestly. It was the truth, she reflected. She certainly didn't think of herself as a princess.

"She wouldn't." Lita said quietly, "She was never one to stand on ceremony or titles. In fact, more often than not she went about in a disguise so she wouldn't have to."

The other girls nodded, and silence reigned.

Serena wanted to run, shout and scream out who she was, but the icy fear in her gut kept her still. Her reasons were no longer viable, though she did not regret keeping her secret, she now feared their reactions when they found out.

Melvin shifted closer to Molly, grateful for her warmth, "What about Sailor Moon? Who is she?"

Serena and Molly stiffened.

The girls shook their heads and shrugged, "We don't know. She never told us." Raye grumbled.

"What? Why not?"

"I think it's because she was ashamed of who she really is." Raye sneered.

Lita rolled her eyes, "I think she was protecting us from something. She had that manner when she refused to tell us that kinda meant she was keeping something from us, but It was for our own good, ya know?"

Amy nodded, "I agree with Lita."

Raye grouched a little, but it was the grouching of someone who knew her friends were right but wasn't quite ready to admit it.

Mina was un-characteristically quiet and serious when she spoke, "I think she just didn't tell us because we wouldn't like the answer." She shrugged, losing her serious manner, "Heh, I mean, that's just the impression I got! I don't know why I think that way!"

Sammy Tsukino wasn't all that interested in who the Sailor Scouts were – sure, it had surprised him, but he wasn't too fussed. He was much more interested in the new world he had found himself in. He was busy playing with the snow – tossing it from hand to hand. It didn't even feel like real snow. It was sharper, somehow. He dropped it with a confused frown. Everything here was different.

He wandered quietly away from the main group, who were still discussing Sailor Moon, and peered up at the tower that stood before him. It was huge, at least one hundred feet in width and extended high into the heavens. It was a black sword, it seemed to Sam, rising from a white backdrop. Windows pitted its surface here and there, tiny windows that looked like they belonged on medieval castles in England.

It gave him the chills.

A huge, beefy hand wrapped around his arm and he was spun to face an enormous, hulking creature that he recognised as Shadow Warrior Bunpo.

He screamed.

**

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AN: I know, I know, I'm so mean for not updating for ages and then giving you a cliff hanger. Thanks to all those who have reviewed during the hiatus, that's awesome of you! **

**And I haven't replied to reviews – once again, very sorry about that! I'm thrilled to bits to read them as always! **

**Next chapter should be up in the next week or so. I am hoping to get to chapter 19 by Christmas but we'll see. **


	18. Moon Phase One

_A huge, beefy hand wrapped around his arm and he was spun to face an enormous, hulking creature that he recognised as Shadow Warrior Bunpo. _

_He screamed._

* * *

Serena was on her feet in an instant, the familiar feeling of a nega-monster nearby rolling over her.

"Sam!" she shrieked, and would have run to him except Lita caught her and pulled her back,

"Ay, ay, leave it to us, Tsukino!" the Amazonian girl told her before dashing off to join the others as they formed a ring around the hulking creature and his captive.

_Damnit! _Serena hissed mentally, _there's no way they can take out a Shadow Warrior without their transformations! They have enough trouble when they have their powers! _

She tore at the bracelet on her wrist again, "Damnit!" she hissed, desperation in every syllable.

* * *

Far above them, Endymion, the Generals and Lunar Agents heard Sam's scream and moved to the nearest window to look down on the scene below.

Endymion swore at what he saw; Serena's little brother was being held by the only shadow warrior they still had to deal with. He was white faced and struggling against the grip of his captor, while a few metres away the girls slowly circled their foe. Beyond them, Endymion noted Serena struggling with her bracelet with a pang.

"Luna." He said softly, "Look at her. I understand your need to protect her. You failed her once, after all. You feel as if you have to make up for it."

Luna jerked as if she had been slapped, and Artemis arced up, "Begging pardon, your majesty, but you have no right to-"

"I have every right to ensure that the people I love and that one in particular, are taken care of. Are safe. But look at her Luna! No matter if she can transform, she's going to throw herself into the fray anyway! I for one would prefer that she have some way of protecting herself!"

Indeed, Serena did look as if she was about to launch herself at the Shadow Warrior.

Luna looked down at the woman she had known a thousand years ago and wondered.

"We will protect her." her argument sounded weak in her own ears even as she continued, "Artemis and I. It's our job."

Endymion sighed, "Luna, what if, by some terrible, terrible chance, you should fall? And Artemis? What then?"

Luna's gut twisted at the very thought.

"I for one would prefer her to have a way to defend herself if, heaven forbid, we should fall." Endymion added quietly.

Jadeite nodded, "We'll still do our best to keep the princess safe, of course, Luna, all of us. And keep her out of the action, no matter how gung ho she gets." He grinned lopsidedly at her, "Besides, to be perfectly honest, if this is going to get as bad as I think it is before it's all over, I'd feel better having her in fighting condition – she's damn scary when she's riled – believe me, I know."

Luna thought about the conversation she had had with Serena, so long ago now,

**_Flashback_**

_Serena peered at her, "I never quit being a Sailor Scout Luna, just being leader. I'm not going to enjoy being bossed around by Venus, heaven knows I probably won't obey her, but I will still fight. That's me now, the Sailor Scout, not the Lunar Agent anymore..." _

**_End Flashback_**

_She'll still fight._ Luna thought despairingly, _she'll still get hurt; see her loved ones get hurt. There's nothing I can do about it. Nothing. Except, perhaps, give her what she needs to battle as she wants to..._

Endymion couldn't help but chuckle at Jadeites statement, but kept his eyes on Luna in a direct and unwavering stare.

"Well, Luna?" he asked after a beat, "Are you going to let her heart break while she stands on the sidelines?"

* * *

Far below, Serena clenched her fists and watched in frustrated rage as the four girls surrounded the Shadow Warrior Bunpo. He may have been a great, lumbering creature with a narrow vocabulary but he was cunning and he hadn't got the title Shadow Warrior for nothing.

This became apparent when Lita came at his left flank with a twirling high kick that would have knocked any human flying, but her leg just bounced harmlessly of his strange scaly hide, sending her tumbling backwards. From the other side Raye used one of the moves that Sailor Moon had taught her and tried to sweep Bunpo's feet out from under him. It didn't work; his legs and feet being roughly the same size and shape as a fire hydrant. Raye's leg crashed into his, and stopped, knocking the girl to the ground. She used combat skills she hadn't had a month ago and rolled away – out of harm's way as Bunpo turned to her in irritation.

Amy had her computer out – it hadn't been stolen by the badies it seemed, and was frantically tapping the keys, looking for the monster's weakness. Mina danced around in front of the ugly thing, taunting him and distracting him from her teammates.

"Hey, fugly!" she yelled, prancing from foot to foot, "Yeah! I said FUGLY! You know what that means, don't you?"

The beast swung to face her, and she darted around it, yelling more insults, "I bet yo' mama never even kissed you, you so fugly!" she called, and Bunpo roared in frustration.

Watching this, Hayate shook his head, "Some one's gotta teach her some new insults."

Sammy dangled in Bunpo's grasp, alternately choking and crying. His parents stood just beyond the scouts, out of the circle of combat and crying out in fear whenever Bunpo shook their son.

Serena watched all this, clenching her fists so hard her nails bit into her palms and bled.

_Mother, if you're out there, please, please help me! _She called silently.

There was no answer, but she hadn't really expected one.

Lita tried to kick the great hulking figure again, and this time Bunpo saw her attack coming and swung the arm holding Sam out to block her path, forcing Lita to stop mid kick with an ungainly move that had her ending up on the snowy ground.

"Damnit!" snapped the brunette, rolling to her feet as Bunpo waved Sammy in front of her again in a taunting manner.

"Mars Fire Scrolls Freeze!" Yelled an elderly male voice, and a scroll slammed into the Shadow Warrior, freezing him on the spot.

Everyone turned to look at Gramps, who grinned amiably at them, "What, did you forget me?" he asked them genially.

Lita snorted with laughter, enjoying the look on Raye's face and the growing smugness of the old man. She _had_ forgotten that the old man was here.

Serena felt herself grinning in delight at the old man's face, a grin that quickly turned to grimace of horror as the fire scroll burned and turned to ash against Bunpo's forehead. The creature let out a roar of triumph as it was freed from the hold of the scroll and flung a hand out with a vicious snarl and caught Lita, who was closest, with an easy backhand in her chest, sending her flying several metres to land in a snow drift. Bunpo spun and slammed a screaming Sammy into a frozen Ami, sending the blunette flying as well. Mina and Raye managed to duck, so the great beast turned to the man that had caused it pain, Gramps, bringing its great clawed hand down to scythe the man in half-

Or not.

A thin, pale hand reached up over the old man's shoulder, palm up and caught the downwards moving blow with a suddenness and speed that was breathtaking.

In the instant that followed, all lay still, everyone taking in the astonishing scene that stood before them. A young woman stood behind gramps, hand up over his shoulder, clasping her fingers around Bunpo's huge wrist, stopping his claws a mere inch from gramps head,

"Now, now," A voice they all knew, and yet didn't, spoke in an amused tone. Bright blue eyes regarded the Shadow Warrior with thinly concealed amusement, "That's not very nice. You're supposed to respect your elders, Bunpo. Ask Gramps."

"S-Serena?" Miss Haruna was the first to speak, her voice hesitant and a trifle frightened.

Lita, struggling out of the snow drift she had found herself buried in, could see why. The woman that was holding Bunpo still with a single hand _looked_ like Serena, and her voice was Serena's, but somehow she was different.

She wore a strange outfit, very like Luna's. It consisted of a pair of tight white pants, silver heeled white stiletto boots, fitted dress shirt and long coat that came to her knees, and a silver and gold belt, upon which nestled at least three golden handled weapons – Lita couldn't tell from this distance what they were, but she knew instinctively they were weapons. She also wore a long golden scarf like piece of cloth across one shoulder and tucked into her belt, as well as a waistcoat covered with golden embroidery. Lita looked closer at the glittering thread. They were moons. Hundreds of moons, in every phase and shape. The woman's hair was out, but held off her face by a gold filigree headband that glittered in the pale light. She wore white gloves, and there was a golden crescent moon on her forehead. Later, when they saw her back, they would see an ornate golden crescent moon embroidered on her jacket.

She rose an eyebrow at their staring, "What, don't you recognise a Lunar Agent when you see one?"

There was a soft noise from behind them, a sigh, and Luna appeared from the door to the tower.

"Everyone, meet Lunar Agent number One, Serena Tsukino."

All eyes turned back to Serena, who cocked and eyebrow before throwing Bunpo's large hand back in his face, sending him staggering backwards, before darting under his guard to land a blow to his massive stomach, burying her fist in his girth. For an instant nothing happened, it seemed as if her blow was as ineffective as the others, then Bunpo was blown backwards of his feet, flying through the air with a snarl of rage. He twisted, trying to bring his feet to the ground, but the lithe Lunar Agent was there suddenly, leaping from on high and slamming her pointed silver stilettos into his chest, sending him crashing into the ground below. Before he had even landed, she was running down his meaty arm, ducking to one knee and punching his wrist with all her (now considerable) might. He roared in pain as the bones inside his armoured hide broke, and his hand convulsed and released Sam into his sisters arms.

Serena scooped up her little brother and leapt _backwards _with him in her arms, gliding back over the snow to where the others were standing in a dumbfounded group. Without a word Luna moved forwards to take Sam's bruised form from her ally agent, and then moved back, cradling the pale, shivering boy.

Serena stalked back towards Bunpo, who was struggling to his feet, "So, now that you haven't got a hostage to bat around, got anything up your sleeve?"

Shadow Bunpo roared, a terrible, earth shaking sound that contained a spell, one Serena recognised.

"Damn you to hell, Bunpo!" she cried, and leapt forwards, cupping her hands and pulling her silver-white power into a tight ball, "Give Greg back to us!

She slammed her hands forwards, and the ball of condensed light that rested in her hands turned into a bright stream of power that engulfed the still roaring Shadow Warrior.

Everyone had to look away from the light, but they heard Bunpo's roar strangle off.

When the light faded and they were able to look again they saw a plain looking youth hanging in the air where Bunpo had been, apparently unconscious.

He fell, and Serena darted forwards into a skidding slide through the snow – and broke his fall by half catching, half slamming into him. She lay there for a second, under him, before carefully pushing him onto the snow, and turning his now trembling form over. Luna joined her, still holding Sam, looked at the shaking that had taken hold of the boy and turned to the watching humans, "Doctor Mizuno, could you help us here, please? He's going into shock."

Serena backed up, taking Sam from Luna and holding him tightly as both Mizuno's rushed forwards to help Greg.

"Anything broken, kiddo?" she asked her little brother, carefully feeling his arms and legs as best she could while taking all his weight.

Sam sniffed through a bloody nose and looked up at his sister through a rapidly blackening eye before wrapping his arms around his sisters necks and bursting into messy, noisy tears.

Serena jiggled the little boy a little, "Hey, hey, it's ok now, it's all ok, no one's going to hurt you again, I promise."

Her parents were staring at her in shock she noticed, apparently too stunned to move, so she continued comforting her little brother, keeping an eye on the activity surrounding Greg. It didn't take long before the poor teenager opened his eyes, and surprisingly, recognised Amy immediately.

By this time, the Generals, Artemis and Endymion had reappeared at the base of the tower, a little scraped up by whatever had met them at the top, but seemingly unscathed. Serena breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everyone ok?" Endymion asked, grinning slightly at everyone, tucking a small but ornate box under his arm.

"We're fine." Raye's voice had a slightly hysterical lilt to it, "Except that Serena has seen fit to reveal her true self!" Her voice rose to a high squeak at the end, and she shut her mouth with a snap upon hearing it.

Molly snorted, "True self? I doubt it. How many more secrets have you got now Serena? One hundred? Two?"

"Oh, more than that," Serena replied flippantly, "Many more than that."

Greg, on the ground, was clinging to Amy, but at the sound of Serena's voice he started and spun around with a little shriek.

"You!" he gasped, staring at the blond holding the boy, before allowing his eyes to dart around the group before coming to rest on the unconscious form of Malachite. He let out a shriek this time and scrambled to his feet, hauling Amy with him,

"Him!" he cried, "He's the one that-" he stopped, what little colour there was in his face drained away and he turned back to Serena, eyes impossibly wide.

"He... he killed you..." he whispered, "I saw it. you... you tried to help me when he came, I can remember that much, but then..." he gave his head a violent shake, "I can't remember everything, but you were on the ground and there was _so much blood_!"

Endymion turned a serious gaze to Serena, wondering again just how bad the battle with Malachite –his general and friend – had been.

"What are you talking about?" Serena's mother demanded weakly, "She's fine look at her..."

"Greg I think you might be remembering things that didn't happen," Amy told him gently, "Look at her, Serena is fine." She tossed Serena a hurt glance, "A Lunar Agent, but still fine."

Serena cleared her throat, "Ah, actually, he's not entirely wrong. Malachite did a number on me when I tried to help Greg."

"You. Died!" Greg hissed through chattering teeth, "I know what I saw! He threw you through three plate glass windows and stabbed you with his sword!"

Interesting, Serena mused, he was replacing Sailor Moon in his mind's eye with her. She wasn't going to complain; obviously the whole experience was a terrible one for him, and had messed him up completely.

So she shifted uncomfortably, "Well, ok, there might have been a bit of throwing... and stabbing, but honestly, I'm fine! See! No worries!"

She waved an arm around to prove her point. Greg was looking at her doubtfully, still clutching Amy close.

A fact that Zoisite did not appreciate, Endymion noticed, suddenly. His General was glowering at the teen for all he was worth, and clenching and unclenching his fists. Greg either had not noticed or was too stupid to read the glare for what it was.

"Ok, accusations of death aside," Lita paused and blinked at herself, "Well, there's something I never thought I'd hear myself say! Anyway, accusations of death aside, you're really a Lunar Agent Serena? So you're from the millennium, like us?"

Luna nodded and spoke before Serena could, "Yes, Serena was the secret spy within the court in our time within the millennium. You would have met her many, many times, and not known what she was." She sent a pointed glance at Serena who glowered back.

"I don't remember you." Raye said warily.

"That's the point of a good spy, Raye, dear." Her grandfather chortled.

"So you're from this Silver Millennium too?" Miss Haruna asked, confused, "how many more of you are there?"

"And why the hell didn't you tell us?" Hayate demanded, glowering.

"What was I gonna a say? Oh, I'm a spy from and alien planet here to protect earth from the aliens and bad people that killed my home? Oh and by the way, I use magic, heal quickly and am actually closer to thirty five than fifteen if you add up both my lives?" Serena snapped.

"You mean you're not my sister?" the timid question came from the little boy in her arms.

Serena looked down at him, "Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief, "Who chases you down the street when you wake her with a water spray? Who covers for you when you use dads computer and fill it with viruses? Hmm? Who throws your lunch at your head when you forget it? Now I don't know if you know, but all that is something sisters do. It's in the manual for 'how to be a sister', in the 'older sister' chapter. Of course I'm still your sister!"

This seemed to reassure Sam somewhat and he rested his head on her shoulder again. Endymion watched, thinking how she'd be a good mother someday.

Zoisite, apparently having had enough of the way Greg was manhandling Amy, took the box from his distracted Prince and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Ladies, I believe I have something that belongs to you." He announced grandly, and flipped open the box. Inside nestled four different coloured wands, only a little longer and thicker than pens. The girls recognised them immediately.

"Our transformation wands!" cried Raye, hurrying over, followed closely by Amy, Lita and Mina.

The girls grabbed their wands and then as one stopped, suddenly looking self conscious.

Serena grinned, "One at a times girlies, let's see the awesomeness of your transformations."

Lita grinned, and beat the others to the punch. She held up her wand, and cried out with obvious delight her transformation phase.

"JUPITER POWER!"

Nephrite felt his breath leave him as a deep green light appeared around Lita, shining in the dark, and she rose a little off the ground. Lighter green motes of light surrounded her for a second before touching her and turning her clothes into her uniform.

She grinned at the stunned expressions and stuck up a thumb, "Hell yeah it feels good to be back in green!"

Andrew shook his head, "To think you girls were in the arcade every day and it took me as long as it did to notice."

Mina laughed and went next,

"VENUS POWER!" she bellowed, and his time there were hundreds of tiny golden stars that obscured her from view in an orange haze before she spun out of the glittering fog, fully dressed as the Sailor warrior Venus. Serena watched this with a grin as she moved surreptitiously close to the box that Zoi was still holding and snatched the yellow crystal with the hand she wasn't using to hold onto her brother.

Hayate had to comment, "Doesn't all that hair get in the way?"

Serena and Raye doubled over laughing at this, because yes, long hair _always_ got in the way.

Mina huffed playfully at Hayate, "Adds to the drama, don't you know, old chap!" she drawled and tossed her hair over her shoulder, only to have it fly back in her face a second later. Serena laughed harder.

Raye went next, and there were several startled cries after she yelled her transformation spell and was engulfed within a pillar of red flame, a pillar that disappeared as quickly as it came, revealing Sailor Mars smirking at them.

"I keep meaning to ask," Gramps commented, eyeing his granddaughter worriedly, "Do your skirts have to be so short?"

"GRAMPS!"

"What? I'm just asking!"

"MERCURY POWER!"

Thousands of bubbles, large and small, erupted from Amy's wand and obscured her from sight as the transformation took place. Once she was ready, the bubbles popped, leaving her standing in a halo of rainbow coloured droplets, and grinning inanely.

Her mother nodded at Gramps, "I see what you mean. Young lady, fix that skirt at once!"

Mercury glowered in an embarrassed fashion at her mother, "Mu-um!"

Sailor Mars stretched a little, ignoring the byplay, "Oh, it's _nice _to be powerful again."

Serena from where she was now innocently standing over Malachite, snorted, "Well I'm glad you're ready for some ass kicking, Pyro, cus that last shout Bunpo made was a summoning spell. Unless I miss my guess we're going to run into some very nasty opposition on our way to the gate between dimensions."

There was silence as everyone turned to stare at her. She blinked, "What?"

Hayate shook his head, "Sorry, Tsukino, just trying to come to terms with the fact that you're talking sense for once."

"What?" squeaked Serena indignantly, making several people laugh, "I talk sense a lot!"

There was an almost unanimous snort. Serena huffed, pretending to be irritated, but she couldn't help but grin.

**

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AN: Hey all. Sorry for the lack of update. I should have known better than to promise two chapters during the busiest season of the year. Lol. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and an awesome New Year. Please make sure you all have a great year! **

**And there you go, a more light hearted chapter. Probably because I've been in a happy mood lately myself, high on life and all that. Please let me know what you think! **

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PLEASE DOES ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR THE TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER? I'M DRAWING A BLANK! PM ME WITH SUGGESTIONS OR ADD THEM TO A REVIEW! TA MUCHLY!

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**So, replies to anon reviewers...**

**JESSiE F. BABi: Do you know, I haven't got all their reactions ready in my mind yet? I'm really not sure how it will go. Either way, they won't have much time to mull over it! Thanks for your review! **

**sailorcresent1992: Thanks for your lovely review! I'm glad you like it. It's been a challenge to change things but keep the core of the story intact. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Yes I almost always finish a story, lol, and I HATE it when people don't! **

**markus777: Thanks for your review! How will they get home? A portal gate thingy. ^_^ And Serena is going to have a rough time of it unfortunately in the next few chapters. And yes a few minor battles and then the BIG one soon! **

**Bree: I'm glad my grammar and spelling didn't put you off. A lot of the time I'm typing so quickly because I want to get what's in my head on screen I hit the wrong button and don't notice till its too late, so if you see any mistakes please let me know! **

**AeriaBelle: lol, Bracelet off? not quite but we're getting there. Luna isn't totally convinced yet that this was the right thing to do, and she's certainly not going to give Serena the power of the crystals and the Moon Sceptre till she's good and sure, but hopefully we can take care of that soon! Thanks for your review! **

**YingYing: thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it! **

**Laura: Sorry it took so long, hope you enjoyed it! **

**SerenityRedMoon: Thanks for the review! Unfortunately my chapters probably won't be getting much longer in the near future. Sorry bout that. Hope you enjoyed this one! **

**Minamoon: Thanks for your enthusiasm! Here's the update, you likey? **

**M: Hey, thanks for your review. Yeah Serena is a strong one in this, but she's also prone to jumping into battle head first, which is why Luna is doing what she's doing. Hope that makes sense! More action for Serena, check! Likey? No Likey? **


	19. Apitha

**AN: Floods in Queensland. Cyclone Yasi (again, poor Queensland) and floods all across the red centre. Then Earthquakes in our neighbour NZ, and I'm starting to wonder if there's a cosmic target on our poor little corner of the world. Wasn't a hole in the Ozone layer enough? Ok so the hole in the Ozone Layer was man-made, and the floods and the earthquakes weren't, but still you see my point right? **

**Soundtrack for Chapter: Hall Om Mig Nu (Hold Me Now) Nanne Gronvall (If you haven't seen the Princess tutu AMV to this track, go you tube it RIGHT NOW! One of the best AMV's I have ever seen, if not the best!) **

* * *

The levity of the previous few minutes passed quickly; as they began what Nephrite cheerfully assured them would be a long trudge through the ice and snow. Those who were not dressed in magical costumes shivered uncontrollably in the freezing air and slogged unhappily through the cold. Those that were spent most of their time trying to stop their skirts flapping around, or, more importantly, flapping _up. _Mars had particular trouble with this. After a few minutes of watching her little brother flounder in the snow Serena hoisted Sam onto her shoulders, her super-strength allowing her to carry the boy easily. He rode on her shoulders happily, but was mindful of his sister's instructions to keep an eye out for 'nasties' as she called them.

Endymion kept his face and stride confident, but inwardly he was worried. They had seen no sign of Beryl or The Doom and Gloom Girls for some time now and a confrontation wasn't far away, he felt. After all, Bunpo's last act had been a summoning spell, and he was sure it would have reached whoever it was supposed to summon. So he kept his eyes peeled and only checked on Serena every few seconds.

He also considered the group with a critical eye. They were quiet for the most part, though he could see questions burning in their eyes. There must be a lot of things they wanted to know. He was glad they weren't asking now. The questions could wait.

He glanced over at Serena again. She was striding along, carrying her brother on her shoulders and chatting away to him in an easy but quiet manner, but every few seconds her eyes flicked over the white and grey landscape around them in a wary manner. She wasn't nearly as carefree as she appeared.

Neither were the Generals. All of them (the ones that were awake anyway) were taking turns carrying the still unconscious Malachite, and all three of them were keeping a careful eye on their surroundings.

"So... You've been a Lunar Agent this whole time? You never said anything." Lita asked at last from her position beside Serena.

The blond threw her a blue eyed, considerate look, "Sure I was. And I'll take this chance to remind you that you never mentioned being a Sailor Scout to me." She felt her stomach lurch a little at that jab, but quashed her misgivings with an irritated noise.

Lita went red, "Because I thought I was keeping you safe! I hated not telling you!"

Serena cocked her head and sent her a reading look before nodding, "I know, and I hated not telling you, any of you, either, Lita – whoops, sorry, Jupiter. But I thought you might need Serena more than you needed a Lunar Agent."

"What do you mean?"

Serena winced, looking a little uncomfortable, "Well, from my perspective, you guys didn't need another ally to fight alongside you, but someone to be normal with. Someone to go to the rink with, someone to study with, whatever. You know, someone _else_. Someone not connected to this stuff."

"Even though you were." Mercury pointed out.

Serena nodded, "Well, sure I was, but you didn't know that. Tell me it wasn't good to act a little normal sometimes?"

Jupiter thought about that, and sighed. "I guess you're right."

"You still should have told us!" snapped Mars irritably.

Serena rolled her eyes at her, "Sorry Mars, next time I've got a life-changing secret to bandy about, I'll tell you first, ok?"

Mars huffed and looked away. Serena couldn't help but grin.

"It's not fair." Mars mused aloud, "You don't fight with me anymore! Sailor Moon used to. I wish she were here. A good fight would take my mind off all of this."

Molly, walking (staggering) a little behind them, looked up in surprise, "You enjoyed your arguments with Sailor Moon?"

Mars blinked over her shoulder, "Well, sure I did. She took my mind off other stuff. Like I said." She trailed off and glanced forwards to where Malachite was slung over Nephrite's shoulder, still asleep, "I can't believe she lost..." she didn't finish her thought or sentence.

"Even if she did she'll be fine." Molly said breezily, "She's like, invincible or something."

"Or something." Luna agreed wryly, shooting Serena an amused look. Serena kept her face straight.

"So are you guys invincible, then?" asked Hayate curiously as he stepped over a particularly large snow drift.

Jupiter snorted, "Hardly. We were defeated in the Silver Millennium, and we've been defeated here. One day, though, when our powers are stronger, we'll be close to it."

"Where does your magic power come from, anyway?" asked Melvin as he too struggled through the snow.

Mercury decided to answer that, "There are several legends. One states that the planets of our solar system where blessed with powers after they pleased a god. Others say we earned it ourselves. As for us personally, we inherited our powers from our mothers – our other mothers." She threw her mother and apologetic glance and Serena did the same.

"How does it work? your transformation? Why didn't we recognise you?" Dr Mizuno asked her daughter.

"How does magic work?" Mercury blew out a sigh, "Well, we all have two energies within our bodies."

"We do?" Asked Andrew, pausing to haul Rieka up a drift.

Mercury nodded, "This is all very complicated, but it boils down to the two energies we have, Spiritual and Physical. Our physical energy comes from our rest and food, obviously. Our Spiritual energy is generated by our... souls, I guess, you could say, and is tied directly to the core of energy within us called our life force. To use create magical power we use a little of both energies and mix them together. That's why as Sailor Scouts we have to eat much more than anyone else to keep up. Our Life force can generate more than enough Spiritual Energy without help, but we need to take care of our bodies for us to produce Physical Energy."

"So can anyone mix them together?" asked Molly.

"No, that's where our inheritance comes in. We inherited the ability from our mothers, as I said. And not only that we inherited a great amount of ability from them, an ability accelerated and increased by our transformations."

"What happens if you run out of energy?"

"You fall into a coma and or die."

Serena's mother stumbled, "Wait, a coma?"

All eyes turned to Serena, who grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, silly me, I guess. I ran out of Spiritual Energy and collapsed. Only an old Spell from the Millennium saved me."

"If your life force generates a lot of spiritual energy, how did you run out of it?" asked her mother weakly.

"I used it all, of course. A few powerful spells here and there, like the one I have been using to help mask our magical signatures, and whammo, down I go."

"Magical signatures?" asked Reika weakly, "That's what that queen was using to track down the princess, right?

"Yep. I've been helping keep them hidden from her so she couldn't attack us."

Before anyone could say anything else to that, Mercury continued, "You asked about how come no one recognised us. That is because part of the transformation contains a spell to keep our faces from being recognised."

"Was that why all the photo's of you guys were fine but you're faces were blurry?" asked Melvin, interested.

Mercury nodded again.

"Spells? How does that work then?" asked Mrs Tsukino.

Serena answered before anyone else could, "The spells we use depend a lot on what we want. Our magic is tied closely with our will. So we can make things happen by willing it to be so."

Jupiter groaned, "That is _if_ you have a disciplined mind. People like me, who don't have the disincline, have to use words or gestures of power. Like this." She pointed at a rock, said a word that only those who knew Lunarian recognised, and the rock changed colour from grey to purple.

"Whereas I can do that without a word or a gesture," added Serena, and the rock turned pink. She couldn't help but grin a little at Jupiter's despair. Apparently the meditation she had been doing during training had only helped a little.

"What was that word you used?" asked Molly eagerly, staring at the purple rock.

Jupiter patted her on the shoulder, "A Lunarian word for 'change'. I can teach you the word but that's not a guarantee you can do magic. Like Mercury said, you have to have magic in your blood before you can use it. Well, our sort of magic. Don't get me started on what you humans call 'witch craft'." She shuddered theatrically.

"So there must be like, a limit on the magic you can do before you collapse, how do you know?" asked Hayate, hauling Miss Haruna up a rise .

Serena nodded, "It depends on how much energy you have in your body, or if, like the Sailor Scouts, you use a focus point for your powers, how much energy is stored in that. Crystals are excellent ways of storing energy. The Silver Imperial Crystal was made after centuries of rulers poured their energy into it, one after another. Similarly, the Dark Crystals that Beryl has been using as focus points for the energy required for the spells to open a gate between two realms have been around for a long time and have had dark energy stored in them."

"Magic, witch craft, super powers, reincarnation ... this is all so unreal..." muttered Serena's father weakly.

"Try living it for a few months." Advised his daughter archly, "You get used to it."

Mars snorted but didn't say anything.

"So, Darien... Endymion... Prince... er... whatever," Andrew began, "Where's Serenity?"

Endymion looked over his shoulder at his friend, frowning, but was forestalled in his answer by Venus, who sighed loudly, "We don't know. Which really sucks because out of all of us, she's the most powerful. If she were here she'd just wave her hand and we'd be outta here."

Serena grimaced, "Aren't you being just a little overconfident in her there?"

Venus smiled in a bitter-sweet way, "No, I don't think so."

Mars smiled too and spoke to the humans, "I know it's hard for you guys to understand, since you haven't met her, but just her being in the same room could make you a happier person. She just had that kind of presence. And Venus is right, if she was here, Serenity would combine the crystals, say a spell, and we'd all be home."

Serena turned and met Luna's stricken gaze, "I don't think it'd be that easy, even for her, Mars. She's a good magician, yes, but breaking through the barrier between the two worlds might be a bit much for her, even if she did use the crystal."

Mars shrugged, "I guess we'll never know."

Jupiter kicked a rock. "I wish she was here."

Mercury nodded, her shoulders slumping, "So do I. She'd be all like 'end of the world? No problems! Saving earth will be easy all you need to do is this and this and this!'" she put on what she probably thought was an imitation of Serenity's voice.

"Hey!" Serena interjected, "She doesn't sound like that!"

All four scouts looked at her, smirking.

"She used to." Luna spoke from behind them, "In the Silver Millennium."

Serena was opening her mouth to say 'I did not!' when she saw Endymion's shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He wasn't the only one either, the Generals were sharing their friend's mirth.

"Well, fine. Maybe she did talk that way." Serena grumbled, "But you're wrong about one thing. She wouldn't help us escape this place. She'd make us stay and finish this battle for earth."

"I guess you're right." Venus conceded, "She would do what is right. And she always loved earth." She threw Endymion a teasing grin, and he smirked a little in response.

There was a few seconds of tense silence as everyone digested that.

"But you're just children!" Miss Haruna exploded, "Why does the fate of our world depend on you?"

"I guess we were born into it." said Mars with a sigh.

"Hey guys, I've been scanning with my computer, and I'm starting to pick up some seriously bad Nega vibes." Sailor Mercury's tense voice bought the expedition to a halt as even the normal humans, seeing the trepidation on the super-natural heroes' faces, realised this was a moment to be still and silent. The Generals crowded protectively around the outside of the groups, pushing the humans closer together and quietly telling them to keep their eyes peeled. The scouts gathered around Mercury and the three Lunar Agents stepped back.

"Stop still, everyone!" Mercury's bark of command froze everyone, even those in mid step.

"What is it?" demanded Mars quietly.

"One of the Nega-energy signatures is _here_. Right now."

Serena scanned the group, frowning. She couldn't see anything...

The penny dropped.

"Scatter!" she bellowed, "Everybody, move! They're underground!"

Indeed the icy patch of ground that they were standing on was cracking, a strange dark light showing through the cracks.

Everybody moved. They went in all directions, skidding and sliding over the icy terrain.

The ground where they had been standing an instant ago shattered and exploded upwards with tremendous force, throwing several of them off their feet. Serena staggered a little, and hauled Sam off her shoulders to set him on the ground in case she needed to jump into battle.

A figure rose from the ground. Tall, and slim with pale pink skin, it was one of the Doom and Gloom Girls. Like all of her kind, her eyes betrayed her true nature, being nothing more than black pools of night. Like her comrades she wore only the slimmest of bikinis and like her comrades she had small insect wings on her back.

She rose until she hovered above them, her short hair waving in the cold wind, "So, either I'll rain down hellfire on all of you, or I'll fight one of you ladies. Yes, you with the colours." She pointed to the Sailor Scouts one by one.

"How about you fight all of us at once?" snapped Jupiter in return and with no warning or power up whatsoever she flung a thunderbolt at the hovering creature.

The Doom and Gloom Girl merely moved to the side a little and the bolt split the heavens behind her, giving her and eerie blue-white backdrop for a second as she smirked at Jupiter.

"How about one of you?" she replied, and flipped a hand at them.

Sharp black shadows formed in the air around her hand, deadly projectiles that rained from her hand and plummeted towards them. Serena, Luna and Artemis threw up a shield each, overlapping them so that all their allies and friends were protected from the blast.

Serena winced; the amount of power it had taken to shield them was phenomenal. The Doom and Gloom girls were very strong. They wouldn't be able to keep blocking.

"We aren't going to be able to block like that again," Luna told everyone quietly, echoing Serena's thought and glaring up at the waiting Doom and Gloom girl, "She's too strong."

Sailor Venus stared up at the woman, her gut roiling inside her. Something about that creature, something about this situation... it was destiny. She was sure of it. sure in a way she had never been before. The surety was intangible and unexplainable, but she felt it just the same. She was positive this was her battle. She glanced around at her team and swallowed.

"I'll take her on." She said softly, "The rest of you, get the humans out of here."

Everyone turned to stare at her in horror,

"What? You can't be serious!" snapped Serena, a pike of fear freezing her gut.

"The most important thing is that the seven rainbow crystals make it back to Serenity." Venus said softly, "and we'll run out of time if we all stop and fight, you keep going and I'll get rid of her and catch you up. No, Jupiter, that's and order!" this last was barked at Jupiter as the Amazonian young woman powered up another bolt of lightning to throw.

Jupiter let the power fizzle out of her hands, and frowned at her team leader.

"What if she beats you?" asked Mercury softly, eyes wide.

Venus grinned easily at her, "Not likely, Bookworm. I'll be fine. Off you go. All of you."

"But... but..." Serena was at a loss for words. _this can't be happening! _"But we should stay together!"

Venus grinned tightly, "I'll catch up. Trust me. So off you go. Now."

"She's right." Luna sighed, "It's better to have one scout exhausted than all of you tired. We're going to need every advantage we can get once we reach the more populated area by the gate."

Serena glared at Luna, really wanting to tell her to shut up, but she had to concede. Both Venus and Luna were right. And, looking at Mina, she could see a change that gave her confidence in her friends ability more than ever.

Somehow she wasn't Mina anymore, Serena noted, she was purely Venus, truly her old self. Commanding and gentle, powerful and loving. A Sailor Scout fully capable of battle. Serena felt a pang of sadness for the little girl Minako Aino and managed a nod.

"You had better!" she told the orange scout, "We'll be waiting for you."

As she said this she began to usher her friends and family away from the monster.

Three of them were especially hard to move. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter all dug their heels in with typical force.

"No way am I leaving you here!" Mars bellowed hotly.

"Don't be stupid! If we tag team it'll go that much quicker and easier!" snapped Jupiter.

"It's illogical for you to fight alone, Venus. How will you find us when you're done?" Mercury asked desperately.

The others present lent their general outcry to the scouts.

"Enough!" Snapped Luna, and all fell silent to look at the dark beauty, "Sailor Venus has given you an order. She is your leader and you are to follow that order." Like Serena, Luna had realised that this battle was not one that could be avoided, and that Sailor Venus was completely ready for this. She was a Scout, and it was her duty and destiny to protect her team. Neither Luna nor Serenity could stop her.

The girls still looked mutinous, but now they had a resigned quality to their eyes.

"See you later, Blondie." Grumbled Jupiter, only her eyes betraying the promise in her words.

"Catch up soon. Please." Mercury said softly.

"Get going already!" Mars snapped, folding her arms and glowering like usual.

Venus smiled at her girls, nodded, and turned to meet her foe, with only one last heart wrenching glance at Malachite.

Serena grabbed her brothers hand and gave her mother a push, "Lets go, they're gonna tear this area up."

Sam, staggering along and clinging to his sisters hand as she started running, turned to look back at the orange scout that he and his friend Mika had worshipped for so long. She stood there, looking at her opponent and the look on her face made his gut freeze. The gentle eyes, so like his sisters, were gone, replaced by cold, hard fury.

He didn't see her move. Afterwards he could never explain how she disappeared and reappeared several metres away so quickly, but he would always remember the huge explosion as the two clashed. Bright yellow light filled the area, making the snow and ice sparkle in a gorgeous way, before fading as the shockwave rolled over them.

He stopped looking back after that and concentrated on running with his sister.

* * *

It was some time before Luna and Serena would allow the group to slow down. When they did finally stop, the flashes and explosions of Sailor Venus' battle were in the distance. Every few seconds the sky would light up, before going dark again. Sounds of explosions and impact still reached them across the vast, icy wasteland, but they were muted and sound like distant thunder.

Nephrite let out a groan and dropped his burden (Malachite) before throwing himself into the snow, heedless of the cold wet on his back.

"Someone else gets to carry him next time we have to run anywhere." He announced to the dark, starless sky.

"He should be carrying himself by now," Serena commented, straightening the crumpled form of Malachite with her toe, "I wonder why he isn't- ARGH!" she leapt back in a comical fashion, tripped over her own feet and landed on her rear in the snow as two icy blue eyes snapped open to peer up at her.

"I'm awake, thank you very much." Came the smooth, cultured voice of Malachite, "I'd like to know who dropped me, please. And where we are. And who you are. And why we're here."

"Nephrite dropped you, you're in the Negaverse and we are your friends. As for why we're here, well, that's a very long story." Endymion answered him, bending over with a hand outstretched to help him up. Malachite took the hand and stood, confusing dominant on his coffee coloured features.

Once he was on his feet, Malachite looked around at the silent bedraggled group. Some of them he felt he should recognise, the girl on her rear in the snow, the long dark haired man and the two blond men who all a familiar uniform, though he couldn't place it. the two others wearing the same white uniform as the woman in the snow were familiar as well. As for the rest, he couldn't place them, except perhaps for the man that had helped him to his feet.

He was someone. Malachite knew it. someone important. Incredibly important. Why couldn't he remember?

"Malachite, do you remember us?" the tall man with black hair asked quietly, apprehension in his eyes.

"I... I..." Malachite searched his mind for the memories. They were there, he was sure of it, he could _feel_ it. it was like he was looking through a veil. Everything was hazy. Unclear.

"I'm sorry, I don't." He murmured.

"Well that's new." Serena commented from where she was getting to her feet. Malachite turned to her, and found himself staring. Something about that woman, now he could see her properly, was familiar as well. She was important too.

"Malachite, it's me, Zoisite. Do you remember me at all?" Zoisite asked the taller man worriedly.

Malachite shook his head.

"What about me? I'm Nephrite. You can kick my ass from here to Sunday with your swordsmanship. Remember?" Nephrite tried.

"I'm sorry, no."

Jadeite stepped up, "Do you know us even a little?"

Malachite hesitated, "I feel I should, especially you," he nodded at Endymion, "But I just don't."

"No biggie, Malachite."Serena spoke reassuringly, "Jadeite, you've got the crystals, yes? It seems the yellow crystal got rid of all the dark energy inside him, but I think he's pushed his memories away. The Blue crystal will help."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Endymion asked, "He pushed his memories away for a reason."

Serena met his eyes for a second, and saw he was willing to let Malachite live a normal life without memories, and smiled, "This is Malachite, Endymion. I think he wants to remember?" she turned that into a question, directed it at Malachite and waited.

Malachite tried again to remember. Again, it felt as if he hit a flimsy wall within his own mind. Frustration filled him, there was something important he had to remember!

"I want to remember." He said out loud.

Serena nodded and took the blue crystal that Jadeite handed her, but paused before using it.

"Mum, Dad, everyone, I think it might be a good idea if you moved away a bit. Give us some privacy, yeah?"

Artemis and Luna guided the group of normal humans away from the smaller group of supernatural's.

Serena turned to Malachite, "This might hurt."

Malachite squared his grey-clad shoulders, "I am ready." He shut his eyes.

Serena shot Endymion a glance, and he nodded.

"_Remember." _Serena spoke in Lunarian, and the crystal that she was holding lit up cobalt blue, throwing strange dancing shadows out from her hands as the light danced and flared.

The light grew and engulfed Malachite, who stiffened as it touched him, his eyes snapped open and he stared, unseeing the present, into his past. As more and more memories engulfed him, he began to tremble and sweat, until finally he threw back his head and let out a howl of anguish so deep it rocked the foundations of the Negaverse.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

* * *

Venus dived out of the way of another of her opponents strange sharp shadows, rolled and came back to her feet with ease before sending a barrage of light particles at her enemy,

"Venus Emotional Burst!" the tiny particles of light would (hopefully) slam into her enemy and burn her. If Venus could hit her enough times, in the right places, she would burn completely to a crisp. So far, she had not been lucky. Apitha, for that was her opponent's name, she had discovered, was fast.

But not as fast as Venus's training partner of late, Sailor Moon. Venus grinned as she watched her attack catch Apitha on the arm, and dashed around her opponent. Sailor Moon had taught her well.

_Distract. Move. Distract. Attack. Retreat. Repeat. _She told herself even as she flung another handful of Emotional Burst Apitha's way. She was only using low-powered attacks at the moment, so was Apitha. They were really just testing each other out, waiting for a weakness to exploit.

Venus was getting impatient.

"Come on, already!" She yelled up at the floating creature, "Attack properly!"

"I could say the same to you." Growled the creature.

Venus sniffed angrily, and unhooked her golden chain from around her belt.

"Ah," Apitha remarked, "Getting serious at last?"

Venus didn't bother replying, merely flung her chain at the creature.

The problem with the chain was, once you had chosen your trajectory and flung it, you couldn't change it. So Venus wasn't really very surprised when Apitha managed to dodge the attack easily, in fact, it was what she had been counting on. The creature dodged down and to the left, a move that Venus had noted she used a lot in the last few minutes.

So when a full-powered Emotional burst that had been aimed where Venus hoped Apitha would go, actually got her, the Venurian allowed herself a tight, triumphant smile. She wasn't as blond as she looked. Sometimes.

Apitha was thrown to the ground with the force of the attack, and she struggled to her knees in the snow, her skin burned to brown in places from the explosive power of Venus' attack.

Venus was on her in a second, her returned chain serving as a whip that wrapped around Apitha's ankle and dragged her towards the Sailor Scout. Apitha swore in Nega-language and scrabbled uselessly at the snow, trying for a hand hold, but the Scout had her.

She dragged until she was standing over the Nega-creature and lifted a hand glowing with her Emotional Burst – full powered this time, and was about to slam it into the creature's chest when the ground under her lurched, bucking upwards suddenly and with no hope for her to keep her footing. She fell forwards towards Apitha, and the Nega-creature took her chance morph one arm into a long, sharp hornlike appendage and slam it into Venus' shoulder. It should have been a killing blow, but Venus wasn't the leader of the Sailors for nothing.

But having a stake slammed into your shoulder wasn't a pleasant experience, and Venus let out a shriek of pain as she fell against her foe.

"Stupid," Apitha hissed in the blonds' ear as she shoved the girl to the side and withdrew her stake-like hand, "You forgot to pay attention to your surroundings. We often have earthquakes here."

She had been stupid, Venus realised as she rolled to a safer distance from the creature. One of the things Sailor Moon had taught her was to always mind her surroundings. She hadn't.

Apitha stood and watched the girl struggle to a kneeling position. She was impressed despite herself. Her blow should have gone through the girls heart. Instead all she had gotten was her left shoulder, missing her heart by a mere inch, Apitha guessed. The girls ability to dodge even as she fell was remarkable. She watched the blond head lift. Sailor Venus spat blood and glared through her fringe at her. The Scout was smiling in a nasty way.

"You should mind your own surrounding's first." Venus snapped and jerked the chain still coiled around her hand- the chain still caught around Apitha's ankle- jerking Apitha off her feet.

Venus used her foes distraction to leap from her kneeling position onto the Nega-creature, pinning her with her knees and good arm, and there was an instant where the eyes of the two combatants met, and Apitha saw the triumph in the blue orbs above her before Venus finished summoning all the power she could muster into her left hand and plunged it into Apitha's stomach,

"VENUS EMOTIONAL EXPLOSION!" she bellowed and the white-golden attack lit the area up, shining bright against the ice and snow. The terrific force of the explosion flung Venus back several meters, and she landed on her side in the snow, too tired to move.

The silence that filled the air was almost tangible. Venus lay where she was, breathing heavily and waiting for her vision to clear. The sheer amount of power she had forced through her hand into her opponent had burnt her hand rather badly, and it stung terribly in the snow, but she didn't move it. Her shoulder was throbbing; a deep, pounding beat in time with her heart, and she couldn't face the idea of moving it just yet. So she lay there, spread eagled, in the snow, looking up at the starless sky and wishing she was home.

Then, a noise, off to the south, below her feet. Hardly daring to believe what she heard. She lifted her head with a grunt of pain and looked down the length of her body to where the body of Apitha was moving, slowly, little by little, the creature's strange shadow-tentacles where erupting from the body's collapsed chest cavity and roiling together in the air above the body.

"No... fucking... way..." Venus gasped. She didn't often swear, but felt the occasion called for it.

As if the tentacles of shadow had somehow heard her, they all became still, before slowly turning to 'face' her. She swallowed.

Things happened too quickly for her to register then,

-The flash of the shadow tentacles shooting towards her , to fast!-

-Her arm coming up to ward off the blow-

-A flash of something bright and white-

-And then black, filling her vision...

But not darkness. No, her vision was filled with a back, the back of someone wearing black.

A black uniform. And he had long white hair. There was only one person she knew with long white hair. But how? _Why? _

Silently, she leaned to the side to peer around him. It appeared as though he had caught the attack of the shadows on his crystal blade – he hadn't had that sword in a millennium, where did it come from? – and was now slowly, but surely, burning the shadows away with the power of the blade.

Impossible. She was dead. She was dreaming. She shut her eyes and shook her head, before opening one eye to check.

Still there.

Ok, so he wasn't a dream. Or a hallucination. Therefore he must be real.

Malachite had saved her. The man she loved was here in front of her, he had saved her. He was back, his old self – she was sure of it, he wore the black uniform, he had the sword again – he was himself again.

A feeling she hadn't felt without feeling sadness and pain for a long time welled up inside her. She, the sailor scout of emotions, more specifically, the sailor scout of love had not felt love – this type of pure, unadulterated love – for so long. With its return came her strength.

As it welled up inside her, she felt her powers – the ones she remembered being hers on the Moon, return, and she got to her feet, once again, the true Sailor Venus, and reached around Malachite with her good arm;

"Venus Meteor Shower!" she didn't even have to yell the attack, and her powers obeyed her, rushing to her call like fire through a forest, but draining her utterly.

The sky above the reanimating Doom and Gloom girl filled with golden clouds, clouds circling in a tight spiral. Then, from the clouds burst bright, shining meteors. One, two, three, a dozen, two dozen, more! They fell from the sky, and hit the ground – hit their target, and exploded.

Malachite threw up a shield as pieces of debris flew through the air, protecting himself and the woman behind him from her own attack.

When the smoke cleared there was nothing but a charred spot on the ground where the Doom and Gloom Girl had been.

Malachite stared at the crater and then took a deep breath and steeled himself to turn around, and meet _her_ eyes. Minako, the only person he had ever cared for besides Prince Endymion and the Generals.

Slowly, he turned, waiting for her to yell, to rant and rave, to condemn him for his actions, to scream at him how much she hated him.

But there was no noise, and as he turned, he saw why.

Sailor Venus was lying in the snow as she had been a few seconds ago, on her back, but her eyes were shut and her face was white –too white.

"Mina?"

**

* * *

AN: **

**Hey all, once again so sorry for the lack of update. I lost inspiration for a while, and to be honest I've been dreading writing the battles with the Scouts and the Doom and Gloom Girls, the only true canon I have really included in this last part of the arc. I hate writing battle scenes. Please tell me if you think this battle should be more... I dunno, epic? Lol, I'm trying to hold some good ideas in reserve for the battle between Serenity and Beryl, so I don't want to go all out yet but I don't wan to sell the scouts short either. **

**Does that make ANY sense? **

**Thanks so much to those who took the time to pm me and review, RKF22 and water phenix! Getting messages from you guys really motivated me to get cracking. **

**Also, I hope the explanation of powers and magic and stuff in this chapter makes sense! **

**Sorry, no replies! I PROMISE Ill get better with that. Any questions I'll try to answer. As for the one asked most often, no, no idea when I will next update. Now that my working year has started I'll have trouble finding as much time as I did. I will make it at least once a month, I hope! And if it takes longer, PM me and keep PM-ing me! Nothing motivates like PM's! **

**Oh, as for the name of last chapter, I had some great suggestions, and I'm really sad I can't use them all. I'm going to name it Moon Phase One, since it's Serenity's first secret revealed, and there are plenty of other 'phases' to reveal. Thanks so much to those (there was a few) who suggested a name like this! **

**PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW if there are any typos!**

**Catch ya'll later! **

**Neon**


	20. Enigma

**AN: Hey all, here you go! Sorry for the lack of update. Lost my usb for like three weeks. Wanna know where I found it? In my handbag. That tells you something about how often I clean it out, I guess – and the amount of crap in it. **

**Ok, so there is some telepathy in this chapter, nothing you haven't seen before, but to differentiate it from internal thoughts and speech it'll be written like this **_**/Lalalala/**_** Just so you know. **

* * *

A shiver ran through Serena's body, and she paused in her steady plodding to turn to the now distant horizon in time to see it light up pale orange, like a pre-dawn glow, before and explosion lit up the area over the horizon. It took several seconds for the sound to reach her, a muted boom that had the others in the group stopping to stare.

The strange shiver turned to a pounding in her heart and she clutched her chest in fright.

_/Mina...?/ _ she asked silently, reaching across the expanse with her mind as she had so long ago to call Mercury – back before they had communicators.

There was no response. Sailor Venus was dead or unconscious. She prayed for the latter.

"Venus, you think?" Jupiter asked Mercury quietly.

"I'd say so." Mercury responded quietly, looking at the fading light with a worried expression, "I hope she won."

There was a snort from Mars, "Of course she won. Malachite went to help her, didn't he?"

Serena suppressed a smile. Malachite had been prepared to take his own life in penance for his sins – an overly dramatic gesture in her opinion, but Endymion had merely ordered him to locate and aid Sailor Venus in her battle, explaining the situation. Malachite had argued, obviously torn, that his place was with the prince.

* * *

_Flashback _

_Endymion glared at the white haired general who was refusing to meet his eyes. _

"_I cannot leave you, My Prince..." Malachite muttered._

"_Oh, and killing yourself isn't leaving me at all?" Endymion retorted. _

_Around them the other three Generals and the Scouts watched uneasily, eyes darting backwards and forwards between the two men. _

_Malachite flinched, but said nothing, keeping his eyes downcast._

"_General Malachite, I gave you an order. Are you going to follow it or aren't you?" Endymion demanded, his regal tone echoing over the silent space. _

_Malachite ducked his head further, "I cannot in good conscience, leave you here alone now I remember everything." He said softly. _

_Jadeite nudged Nephrite, "What are we, decorations?" he asked in an undertone, wary of his Prince's temper. _

_Nephrite merely shrugged in reply. _

_Endymion reeled back and slammed his fist into Malachite's jaw, sending the man tumbling to the ground. Serena jumped forwards to grab him, frightened he would hit the man again, but a single glance into his eyes told her that Endymion was completely in control, and she stepped back. _

"_I will not have a man who leaves his soul mate in danger in my service." He snarled at Malachite, "Go and help her. When you return we will discuss your punishment if you wish." _

_Malachite stared at the Prince for a second, rubbing his jaw unconsciously as he thought over what Endymion was saying. Then he bowed and departed swiftly, heading back to where they had left Sailor Venus. _

_Endymion turned to the silent audience with a wry smile, rubbing his hand, "He always needed sense to be physically knocked into him." _

_Serena laughed a little, and stuck her hands on her hips, "Did you break anything?" _

_His sheepish look was answer enough, and she waved the yellow crystal, still in her possession. A healing yellow glow appeared around his hand, shone for several seconds and then faded. _

"_Let's move on. The longer we stay still the more of a target we are." Luna murmured with a worried glance around. _

_End Flashback_

* * *

She was sure Malachite would help Venus. But the Doom and Gloom Girls were powerful; it would make sense for Venus to pass out after winning... right?

She pushed the doubts to this side for now. There was nothing she could do anyway. For now. Once she was sure her family were safe she'd combine the crystals and do some major healing.

She jerked at the bracelet on her wrist again, this time pulling it so hard it cut into her skin, but it would not break. She gave up with a frustrated sigh.

They trudged forwards again. This time she walked next to Endymion, and spoke quietly to him for several minutes about anything she could think of. Endymion patiently replied to all her inane comments, aware of her fear for her missing scout, and commiserating.

The landscape around them changed again, becoming less snowy and more icy and rocky. The jagged pillars of rocks that now surrounded them blocked their vision of the surrounding landscape for more than fifty metres in any direction, making them move at a more wary pace than before.

Still it came as a surprise when Mercury announced that there was another monster nearby.

"Everyone, careful, there's another one coming this way..." she called softly. Immediately upon hearing this, Serena organised a defensive circle around the normal humans of the group.

This time the Doom and Gloom Girl made no attempt to hide her approach, cruising up to them on her fairy-like wings and landing with deceptive grace upon a jagged outcrop nearby. Like her companion she was dressed in a bikini-type costume, this time a dark blue. Her mauve skin and long wavy hair contrasted very little against the colour of the rock she stood on, and it was hard to pick her out except for her wings and glowing red eyes.

"Have you figured out how this works yet?" she asked them breezily, playing idly with her hair as she observed the bedraggled little group.

"What are you talking about?" Snapped Endymion, glaring at her. Serena reflected that if he ever glared at her like that she'd run a mile in the opposite direction.

"Oh, the little prince doesn't understand. I thought they told me you were intelligent?" cooed the Doom and Gloom Girl.

When no one answered her, she continued, "I am Enigma, the second of the Doom and Gloom Girls. Who will be my foe?"

Jupiter stared up at the woman-like creature, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and wondered if that strange pulling feeling was something she should follow. She'd always been an instinctual fighter, using her battle honed senses and following them without question. But now it seemed as if her instincts were telling her that this fight was hers, whereas her heart was wishing to stay with her friends.

Mercury gasped, and as one, the Generals, Prince, Lunar agents and Scouts turned to her for explanation.

"They're hoping to pick us off one by one!" Mercury hissed, eyes wide with horror.

Mars snorted, "Except Venus beat the first one and she and Malachite will be joining us any minute."

"Sure about that, are you?" enquired Enigma breezily, then shrugged, "Well I can't say either way, since I don't know. But I doubt Apitha would have gone without taking someone with her."

Her words were like a blow to the heart of the princess. Serena flinched, the fear she felt causing a physical pain in her gut.

_It's alright. _ She told herself quietly, _Malachite was with her, she'll be ok. He won't let anything happen to her. _

The thought of the general with her friend gave her courage and she spoke into the horrified silence with a voice that was so calm and steady she didn't recognise it as hers at first;

"Sailor Venus will be fine. So will Malachite. They are both exemplary fighters. Stop trying to scare us with your stupid claims!"

Her words had the desired affect and her teammates brightened,

"Damn straight!" bit out Jupiter, clenching her fists, "And as for who'll fight you, well that'd be me!"

Serena started, "Jupiter-"

She wasn't the only one worried; as she spoke Nephrite opened his mouth to say something before shutting it with a snap and hunching his shoulders.

Jupiter punched her fist into her palm, her stormy eyes locked on her opponent, "I'm made for this stuff! Magic and Spells and Crystals are all very good, but give me a fight like this any day! Bring it on you fairy slut!"

Enigma rose one highly- tweezed eyebrow, then smiled, baring pointed teeth, "I accept your offer, Sailor Jupiter."

Again Serena felt that strange feeling telling her not to interfere, and clenched her fists, wondering why destiny had chosen now to send her these feelings. Or was it destiny? Could it be Pluto doing her 'tweaking' the timelines thing?

So, after swearing inwardly at whoever was orchestrating all this (she was going for Pluto, because really, who else would?) she reached out and took Jupiter's shoulder, "Kick her ass and come back and join us as soon as you can."

Jupiter grinned at her friend, "Sure thing. You just keep an eye out for me and I'll be there!"

Mars snorted, "You better be, I'll never forgive you if you don't catch up!"

Mercury smiled weakly, "Be careful. She can fly and she's powerful, you'll need to watch out for aerial manoeuvres."

Jupiter gave her a playful, two fingered salute, "Sure thing, Bookworm."

Again, it took a little convincing for everyone to leave Jupiter there. Serena was resigned by now, not that she was happy about it. But Luna had been right earlier, they needed to get to the gate as quickly as possible and get her family and friends that weren't a part of this through, and to do that they needed as many of them to be fresh and ready to battle, and that meant her friends were going to be going solo.

And then she needed to figure out how to get the shard of the crystal from within her out and combine it with the rainbow crystals.

Though if things kept going the way they were, the four Sailor Scouts present wouldn't be much help. A good strategy on the part of the Negaverse, Serena mused as she hauled her brother over some slippery rocks; to take out the heavy hitters before attacking the rest of the group.

Except the Generals had joined them, and that meant at least part of their plan was going wrong, and they didn't know about her real powers yet, either.

Behind her, Jupiter stared down (or rather up) the Doom and Gloom Girl.

Enigma smirked down at Jupiter, "I hear you're a bit of a powerhouse, Jupiter, dear." She called as Jupiter's friends disappeared behind a rocky outcrop.

Jupiter cracked her knuckles, "Come and find out, bitch!"

Enigma launched herself at Jupiter in a flying move; bringing her left arm forwards with a cutting motion. Jupiter caught sight of the move and dived sideways and rolled in the snow, before coming up to her knees and staring in shock as the large monolith behind her was flung into the air, its base smoothly cut from Enigma's attack. It sailed through the air and landed with a tremendous thump that shook the ground some metres away.

It could have been her head, she realised numgly. Jupiter looked back to Enigma, who had moved back a little, with wide eyes.

Enigma smirked, a satisfied look that turned into a flabbergasted look as Jupiter grinned in a feral manner at her.

"Oh, I'm going to have some fun with you!" Jupiter laughed and launched herself at the fairy-like monster, lifting her leg and slamming it downwards towards Enigma's head.

Enigma lifted both hands to block the blow on her forearms, bracing her feet. The impact landed, and Enigma felt the ground under her feet crack and give a little as the force of Jupiter's blow was transferred through her to the ground.

She staggered back, and this time it was her turn to stare in shock at the power of her opponent.

Jupiter gave her no time for breathing, and followed up her downward kick with a spinning kick to Enigma's left side while she was in still in midair. Enigma blocked it, but the power behind the blow sent her staggering sideways, leaving herself undefended as Jupiter flung out a fist and caught her in the jaw.

Up, up, up, she sailed, before slamming into one of the many pillars of rock and ice that littered the landscape. It exploded around her as she hit, sending fragments of icy grey stone hurtling in every direction.

Jupiter bought her hands up, her dark eyes on her opponent, and turned her hands into cup-like shapes with her fingers spread. She concentrated, pulling out as much power as she could muster, and a sparkling- then crackling - ball of electricity formed floating between her hands, lighting up the entire area an eerie green.

Enigma found her feet, bracing herself against the rock and the laws of gravity, and let out a screech of rage and launched herself at Jupiter, hoping to prevent the scout from using her magical attack.

Jupiter waited until the very last second before thrusting both hands forwards and sending her crackling attack into the Doom and Gloom girl's face.

The resulting explosion threw the green suited scout backwards into another rock, but she was grinning fiercely as she got up, ignoring the new bruises and cuts.

"Now that's more like it!" she called to the growing cloud of dust that hid Enigma from sight, "I'm sick of all this skulking around. This is much more me!"

There was a coughing, gasping sound from the cloud of dust and Jupiter backed up a little, wary of an oncoming attack.

Something shot upwards out of the cloud of dust, almost too fast for Jupiter to see. She jumped back a bit. Craning her neck and head back to look up at the creature.

Enigma soared upwards for several metres before coming to a halt and hovering there, glaring down at Jupiter. Her clothes, already skimpy, were now mere rags. Jupiter sneered at her,

"Bit more of a challenge than you thought I'd be?"

Enigma laughed at her, "Oh, I _am_ enjoying this!"

Jupiter called another burst of lightning to her hands, and flung it up at Enigma, who dodged easily and made a strange movement with her hands, calling a ball of writhing dark power to her hands in a black mirror of what Jupiter had done some seconds ago.

She flung her hands down, and the ball of darkness split into hundreds of shards of power, raining down around Jupiter.

Jupiter swore and flung up a blanket wave of lighting over her head. It was her only defensive spell, designed to blow up any incoming attacks prematurely. Unfortunately it only worked partially.

A few pieces of the attack got through, but those few were enough to throw Jupiter backwards into another tall, jagged rock. She hit hard, her head snapping back and one arm crunching nastily against the uneven surface. Jupiter bit her lip and tasted blood as she collapsed forwards out of the rock and hit the snowy ground.

She spat the metallic tasting liquid from her mouth and glared up at Enigma, who hadn't pushed her advantage, and was waiting with a smirk in the air.

"Did that hurt, little Sailor?" Enigma called down in a sing-song tone, "I'll bet it did."

Jupiter stood up, ignoring the burning pain in her arm that was telling her that something was broken there, and smiled.

"Shut up, you cocky bitch. I'm not done yet!" She snapped, and called a burst of lightning to each hand.

"JUPITER THUNDEROUS CHARGE!" she bellowed, and bought both crackling hands together with a terrific crash, and a beam of white electricity thundered up to Enigma, catching her completely by surprise and throwing her to the ground with terrible force.

She lay there twitching for several seconds as the aftershocks of the current ran through her, before pulling herself slowly to her feet in time to see the punch being thrown by the irate green scout and to roll sideways to avoid it.

Jupiter's missed punch made her stagger and slide on the slippery ground.

Enigma took this chance and slammed a foot out and into Jupiter's stomach. Jupiter let out a startled 'oomph' and was flung several metres into another rocky pile.

Enigma rose into the air on only slightly shaking wings, and sneered down at the scout,

"Is that all you've got?"

Jupiter glared up at her, before standing and smiling through bloody lips at her foe before shutting her eyes and concentrating deeply.

Not long before, in one of their training sessions, Venus had given Jupiter her special tiara that contained her antenna.

It appeared now, growing from the centre v of her golden tiara, extending until it reached about a hand span above her head.

Enigma, spying the device, sniggered, "What's this, are you going to poke-"

She broke off because Jupiter was _moving_. The green-clad Sailor Scout charged, darting to the side with phenomenal speed. Enigma spun to track her, but lost her in the dust created by her own attack a minute previous, and spat out a nega-swear word.

"JUPITER ELECTRIC STORM!"

Enigma whirled in mid air, coming face to face with Jupiter. Jupiter, who was glowing. Jupiter who only a couple of metres away. Jupiter, who was sailing towards her through the air.

_She must have used that speed and momentum to run up one of the pillars of rock and leap off. _ The Doom and Gloom girl realised numbly, even as she barrel-rolled to escape the coming blast – but knowing the move was futile.

At the zenith of her jump, Jupiter flung out her arms and threw her head back, accepting the devastation she had called down from the heavens, pouring everything she had into the attack, dredging up all she could from her innermost being and begging the skies for this to work.

Lightning answered her call, funnelling down from the sky in a white-green column and swirling into her antenna. For an instant suspended in time with both combatants hovered in mid air and nothing happened.

Then electricity in its purest form hurled itself in every direction from Jupiter's suspended body creating a sphere of power that charged outwards with ferocious grace and engulfed everything in its path, including the Doom and Gloom Girl.

Enigma screamed as she was slammed into by the crackling green radiance, a scream that was choked off as she was engulfed entirely by the bright light.

It didn't stop there, but kept growing for metres in every direction making a terrifying arcing sound that carried across the dark plains of snow and ice.

In the centre of the sphere, Jupiter watched, feeling all her energy draining away at an alarming rate, and wondered if this would be enough.

The sphere burnt itself out after a few seconds, leaving Jupiter blinking white dots from her eyes, and reality setting in again.

She was hovering metres above ground. Probably close to three stories high. And she had no way of stopping herself from the fall that would surely come now. Yet she could hardly summon the energy to care overmuch.

_Typical, Jupiter,_ she told herself, _you never did think things through. _

The world tilted, and suddenly time sped up again, carrying her downwards in a rush. She shut her eyes and waited, too spent to do otherwise. She supposed, in a vague way, that it might hurt, to die like this, but found she couldn't even summon up the indignation she should feel at such a death. She shut her eyes, resigned.

_Thump. _

Jupiter frowned. _That hurt less that I thought it would. Am I dead now? _She wondered blearily what heaven was like and opened her eyes.

What she saw was a landscape devastated by battle.

_What the hell?_

Her wandering gaze took in everything, the scorched ground, broken rocks and dusty atmosphere, before turning to the man who was holding her. Her emerald eyes widened.

"You caught me." She blurted stupidly, slurring her words slightly.

Nephrite rose an eyebrow at the woman he was holding bridal style. "Well, yeah. Did you think I'd let you drop?"

Jupiter, lying limply in his arms, managed to shake her head, her eyes slipping shut, "no..." she slurred, "you ... never... would..."

_/Lita?/ _A familiar voice echoed in her head as she fell into darkness.

Nephrite checked her pulse, his own racing, but she was merely asleep. He shook his head a little, breathed a sigh of relief and then chuckled, before the smile dropped off his face. Cradling her gently, he glanced over at the still, blackened form of the Doom and Gloom Girl in time to see her disappear into dust.

"Well done, baby," he whispered, and leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on Sailor Jupiter's bloody, dusty cheek, "Well done."

* * *

A sudden tremble took Serena by surprise, and she turned to look back in time to see the huge ball of lightning appear, grow, and fade. She watched in silence, barely registering the cries of those around her.

Beside her, Sam looked up at his still sister and wondered if she could squeeze his hand any tighter. It hurt but he didn't say anything even when Dr Shields put a hand on Serena's shoulder and squeezed it gently and she leaned back into the touch. He did wonder why Dr Shields was like that with Serena when he was supposed to looking for his princess friend.

He didn't say anything, and it didn't seem like anyone else had noticed the brief touch the two shared, they were all talking about the ball of light, and listening to them, Sam realised that Sailor Jupiter had created it.

He wondered if the man with long brown hair had made it to her in time. A few minutes ago he had asked for permission to return to Jupiter, and Endymion (Dr Shields?) had asked him why it had taken him so long to ask. The man with long hair had grinned and taken off, running back in the direction they had come from. Sam hoped the man with the kind eyes and Lita would be ok. Lita especially. She baked nice cookies. And she wasn't a girly girl like some of Serena's other friends.

"Will she be ok?" he asked Serena, who jumped as if she had forgotten he was there, and loosened her grip on his hand.

"Let's see." She murmured, and shut her eyes, letting her mind fly over the space, searching for Lita's individual mind signature. /_Lita?_ /

There was a brief, fluttering response, and Serena got the impression Lita was safe and happy before the connection faded.

"She's alright." She announced, opening her eyes, and everyone turned to her, "Nephrite got there in time. She's just exhausted."

"How the hell do you know?" snapped Mars.

Serena met her dark gaze evenly. /_Because I can use telepathy, Pyro./ _ Her voice echoed through Mars' head.

The scout jumped like she had been stung and let out a squeak, "You're telepathic?"

"What?" Came from several voices at once.

Serena suppressed an eye roll.

_/Yes, I'm telepathic. That means I can talk to you inside your heads like this. A lot of the Ancient Races could. Lunarians and Martians were especially psychic and used their powers to communicate like this a lot. And no I can't read your thoughts unless you let me. I do get an impression of your emotions though. Like, I can tell if you're happy or sad by doing this./ _

Everyone heard her voice echo through their minds.

Mercury listened silently to this, something niggling at the back of her mind. Something not-quite remembered was demanding her attention.

Serena demonstrated her powers a couple more times, with the help of Mercury and Mars, who both had the talent as well. By the time several minutes had passed the strain of communicating telepathically had given her a pounding headache.

"Let's keep moving," she snapped at last when her patience ran out.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

They spun to see another Doom and Gloom girl standing in front of them. As they turned to face her she found a graceful perch on a small pile of stones, carefully arranging her wings so she didn't sit on them. She seemed at ease, but they could see the tenseness of her shoulders.

"I am Malady, the third. Who will meet my challenge?" she spoke in ringing tones, apparently liking the dramatic touch.

Serena glowered at her, arching a blond eyebrow in a familiar gesture, "What is this, anyway? Sluts vs Scouts?"

Jadeite let out a muffled snort, and managed to straighten his face by the time Malady had turned her cold, empty gaze on him.

Malady turned her gaze back to Serena, "So you are the one I will fight?" she pouted, "Pity, I was told a Sailor Scout would be my challenger."

Before anyone else could speak, Malady had leapt forwards from her seated position, slamming both her palms into Serena's shoulders and push-lifting her for several metres before slamming her down into the icy ground, knocking all the wind out of her. They slid for some seconds, Malady pressing Serena deep into the ground, hard enough for her to create a fissure as she slid. Finally they came to rest in the middle of an open space some way away from the others.

For an instant they stayed like that, the blond staring up at the empty eyes of the creature crouched over her, and a strange feeling welled up inside her at the sight of those empty eyes.

_Pity._ She felt nothing but pity for this creature that didn't- couldn't- love.

But feeling pity didn't mean she was going to _take pity_.

She slammed both legs up into the creature's abdomen with all the force of super-powered muscles.

Malady shrieked in pain as she was flung upwards like a rocket, tumbling around and around through the air. Serena rolled to her feet in a single, speedy move, craning her neck to watch the creature while jerking one of her long knives from its scabbard at her belt. She held it at her side, ready.

Malady recovered her equilibrium and reared- she was about to dive at Serena when a jet of fire almost engulfed her, making her veer wildly in the air.

Mars rolled her eyes at Serena's shocked expression, "See, that's what you get when you mouth off."

Serena grinned at her friend and slid the knife back in its sheath, "Oh, oops, silly me."

Mars looked up at the Doom and Gloom girl above them, her expression set, "I'll take care of her. You get the others outta here." She reached out and pulled Serena close as she made to move back to the group, "Serena, take care of Gramps for me, ok? No matter what happens." Mars' violet eyes were dark with worry as she looked at her friend.

Serena blinked at her serious tone and nodded. "Of course, though he's pretty good at taking care of himself. You take care of yourself."

Mars nodded, "And..." she trailed off, looking awkward,

Serena patter her shoulder, "I'll make sure Jed's fine too. See you soon."

Mars shot her a relieved glance and moved off to face Malady.

Serena rejoined the others, moving quickly to keep out of the way.

* * *

**An: Hey all. thanks for your reviews as always! They really inspire me so keep them coming. Please tell me what you thought of Jupiters battle? Too abrupt? Please let me know!  
**

**Anon Reviewers...**

**Sarah: Well thankyou very much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Markus777: A lot of wonderings, there! You'll have to wait and find out for most of them, but yes there are four DandG girls. And we've now seen three of them... hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**BreeCheese: Thanks so much, I really wasn't sure about that scene at all! **

**Laura: Well, it didn't come 'soon' but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! **

**Megumi-chan: Sorry bout that. This isn't as much of a cliffhanger, and it doesn't really resolve last chapters cliffie, but I hope you're starting to see a pattern by now?**

**Thanks guys, see you next this time? **


	21. Malady

**AN: I have no excuse, except that I lost all momentum and motivation for this story for no reason whatsoever. I'm like that, unfortunately, I go through phases of being into something and then I switch to something else. Last year it was knitting, scrapbooking and games. This year its crocheting, games and manga. I mean, come on, right? **

**So I apologise profusely for the wait. I also thank profusely those of you who have taken time to PM mere here, on Deviantart or at live journal. Thanks so much guys, you know who you are and its because of you I've started this again. **

**On that note this chapter is dedicated to RKF22 because you wouldn't leave me alone, and so I updated. Well done! **

**As always, I ADORE constructive criticism. I am not a critical person when it comes to my own work, so when someone points something out I get all happy because a) they've been paying attention ^_^ and b) I can get better at this stuff with your help. I want to publish something someday guys, so be picky please!**

* * *

Mars glared across at Malady, fists clenched and jaw thrust forward in a manner that she knew made her look obstinate – Jadeite himself had told her so many times.

Malady smiled at her, "So I do get to fight a Sailor Scout? Excellent!"

"Not just a scout." Jadeite stepped up beside Mars, making her jump, "You'll be fighting a General as well."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mars gaped at him, while Malady stared in surprise.

Jadeite gave her a look that told her she was being obtuse. It was a look she remembered from a thousand years ago - a look that made her blush.

Angry with him (and the red she could feel creeping up her cheeks), she snapped out, "I didn't ask for your help, thanks so much!"

Jadeite grinned his lovely, boyish grin, "So what?"

"So I don't need it! Go and guard Endymion or something. Wave your sword around at a bad guy. Whatever. Just don't do it here."

Jadeite looked insulted, "I can't leave a woman alone in this kind of situation, especially not _you_!"

"A _woman_?" Raye snarled, clenching her fists, unable to believe he could make a comment like that after meeting the Sailor Scouts – to a Sailor Scout, no less! ""You are so sexist! And why not me especially? You of all people know I can take care of myself!"

"Look, Raye, don't argue, please? I'm here you help you, please?"

"Why?" Mars hadn't missed his use of his name, but ignored it for a moment, suddenly intensely curious.

"Because I-" Jadeite broke off, going crimson, "Just 'cause. Ok?"

"No, not ok. Explain." Mars snapped and folded her arms.

Jadeite winced, and then sighed, "Look, Raye, I know how stubborn you are. But you _know_ I am just as stubborn. So let's work together and defeat her, and then we can catch up to the others. I'll wave my sword around, you do whatever it is that you do... and you never have to speak to me again." He finished bitterly.

Mars opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't what she wanted at all, but found herself snapping out; "Fine!"

"Fine!" Jadeites eyes showed the hurt he felt at her curt agreement as well as anger, but he nodded and they both turned to the Doom and Gloom girl, who –

Was gone.

"Where the hell is she?" Jadeite and Mars demanded of each other in unison, and then glared at each other,

"How should I know?" again, they spoke in unison.

"Are you done yet?" came the laconic voice of Malady from above.

Their heads snapped up. Directly on top of them, floating on her wings with eerie grace was their foe. She smirked at them, unable to hide her sinister amusement.

"Don't let me stop you. Quite amusing, you are. I'd call you an old married couple if I didn't know any better." She commented snidely.

"WHAT!" shrieked from two voices simultaneously.

"How dare you-?" snarled Mars, clenching her fists and apparently unaware of the crackling fire engulfing them. Beside her, Jadeite looked down at the fire surrounding her hands and edged away a little. Raye had never been a pushover, but Mars when she was angry was murderous – and she had a tendency to singe whoever got too close when she lost control.

Mars flung up a hand, palm facing towards Malady, and a stream of fire swallowed Malady – or it would have had she not barrel-rolled mid-air to avoid it.

Unfortunately for Malady, she barrel-rolled straight into the jet of yellow fire that streamed from Jadeite's sword. She shrieked and batted the flames that sprung up in her hair, putting them out almost immediately.

There was a strange instant, as Malady tried to recover, when Mars and Jadeite looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, not quite cocky enough to turn from their foe, but grinning at each other nonetheless. It had been a long time since they worked together against an enemy.

And though neither would admit this out loud (ever), they acknowledged it deep inside themselves.

But they had missed this. Missed each other. This felt _right. _

The moment passed and they moved in tandem, Jadeite swooping to the left and Mars dashing to the right, both of them firing off short, hot bursts of flame towards Malady.

Malady managed to avoid both shots this time, but only by pulling some serious gymnastic moves mid air. Two enemies, acting from opposite directions, was not something she was equipped to handle.

They circled her, giving her no room to move with their little bursts of fire. The Scout was troublesome since she could create fire with no magical device help. The general, however, was relying on his magical sword. Malady made a snap decision and rolled away from one of Mars' bursts of fire before diving with blinding speed at the general. Jadeite threw up his sword to deflect what he thought would be a physical blow, only to have the sword ripped from his hand by the fairy-like creature and flung with one-handed super-strength away from the fight. He let out a gasp of surprise as she hurled a burst of crackling black power at his chest with the other hand.

Jadeite grunted, and Mars screamed wordlessly as he was flung backwards several metres to land on his back. For a beat he lay still and Mars felt her breath freeze in her chest, but then he groaned and rolled to his feet and she could breathe again.

She growled and flung a sustained burst of flame at Malady, following her with the jet as her enemy darted away.

_Goddamn it. _Mars thought angrily, _she's too fast, and my fire's projectiles can't change direction once I've shot them. Once upon a time I would have been able to curl the fire around after her with a thought but I haven't got enough control anymore! What am I going to do?_

* * *

Sailor Mercury plodded along next to Zoisite, keeping a careful eye on her mother and friends. And a wary eye on Serena. She felt guilty about the distrust she was displaying, but really, there was no way about it. She just wasn't sure what to make of this new, composed and self-assured and _quiet _(since when was Serena quiet?) Serena.

Mercury was a neat person. A concise, precise person. She neatly labelled people and things with categories in her mind. And most of the time the people stayed in the boxes she put them in. Sometimes she'd have to relabel someone, but that was easy.

This was hard. She frowned. Serena had previously belonged to the category of 'Good-friend-who-has-less-of-an-IQ-than-me-but-I-love-her-any-way' box. A mouthful, but it described Serena perfectly. And while Mercury was aware that there weren't many people who were as smart as her and that therefore the name 'less-IQ-than-me' wasn't really necessary, it was descriptive.

Serena had also belonged to the category 'doesn't-know-about-Negaverse- and-must-be-protected-from-evil-doers' box. The box that contained all Mercury's precious people in this life, her mother, friends and the rest of her family. But now...

Both boxes had been exploded. Not only did Serena _know_ about the Negaverse, it seemed she was a bit of an expert. It also seemed that Serena was a _lot_ smarter than she had been letting on. Mercury felt a stab of pain as she wondered whether or not Serena had actually _needed_ her help with catching up with her school work or if she had been faking. Serena was smart enough to keep her true identity from everyone, including her parents, it seemed. Which, considering how Mercury had managed it, wasn't that hard, but Amy, Raye, Lita and Mina all had secret identities too. They would have seen any of the minute clues or traits that they themselves exhibited in someone else.

They hadn't seen anything in Serena. She had surprised them utterly.

Which, Mercury reasoned, was probably the point. Who would suspect an almost-dropout to be a super-hero? Now, a psychic, a combat prodigy, a genius and a wealthy media darling... they all had aspects that could be called 'special' and no one would be surprised if they turned out to be heroes in a movie. But a sixteen-year old whose only achievement was surviving a car crash? Nope.

Mercury resisted the temptation to stamp her foot, and instead chewed her lip worriedly. She _hated_ not knowing things. Not suspecting things was even worse. Re-categorising people was even worse than that! And what must Serena think of her now? To see her friend the supposed genius floored by her revelation?

Beside her, Zoisite glanced at her and saw her pensive look, and grinned. He knew her well enough to guess at what she was worrying at.

He poked her in the side, making her squeak in surprise.

"Stop worrying about it." he told her, "Use your energy to worry about what happens next if you insist on worrying, but don't worry about her."

Mercury tried very, very hard to glare at him but failed completely. Every time she looked at him her heart filled with glee that she found hard to contain. _He was back, with her, he was fine, and they were fine. _Well, things were a little bit more complicated than that, but really, they didn't need to be.

But then there were the others. Raye, Lita and Mina were struggling with the return of their boys. She could see it clearly in the way Raye had looked at everyone except Jadeite. In the way Lita was more aggressive than normal. In the way Mina was quieter than she should have been as leader.

She sighed, making Zoisite glance at her worriedly.

* * *

It took Jadeite five long painful minutes to retrieve his sword. During that time, Mars took on Malady on her own with very little effect. By the time the blond general had returned to her side, she was tired, sore and majorly _pissed off._

Mars flung another handful of fire at her enemy, glowering as Jadeite leapt forwards with his sword to clash twice with the Doom and Gloom girl in midair – an unbelievable display of his prowess that Mars wouldn't have believed if she hadn't known he was capable of it before-hand – and land easily on the uneven ground nearby.

"This isn't working." Jadeite muttered as he straightened from his landing crouch.

"I noticed." Mars bit out, and then bit her lip, thinking hard.

Jadeite rolled his eyes at her vitriol, "Our fire projectiles can't change direction once we've fired them, and if we power them up too much they tend to slow quickly. Its too easy for her to dodge." He went on as if she hadn't spoken.

Mars glared at the hovering Doom and Gloom Girl, who smirked back at her with a twisted lip. _Oh, just you wait, _Mars thought at the fairy-creature-slut, _just you wait till I burn that smirk off your stupid, pretty face. _

What really pissed Mars off was that while she was getting sweaty and mussing up her hair, Malady looked as fresh as if she had just started the day.

_Damn it. _

"There's gotta be _something_!" she burst out angrily.

_Of course there is._ She told herself sternly as she flung another inferno in the direction of her foe. _You just have to find it. What can you use from the Millennium? What attack could you actually manage from those days as you are now?_

Malady dodged her fire burst easily. _Of course she did. She always does._

Mars sighed and flung her hand out, again calling her magic to form flame, and stopped as something clicked in her mind.

_Oh... _she thought numbly, staring at her hand, _duh. _

Jadeite saw his soul mate pause as he leapt into the battle again, and as he clashed – again successfully with the fairy-like-creature- her claws were as good defensive weapons as they were offensive- he did little damage and by the time he had landed Mars was grinning that feral, no-holds-barred grin that signalled a descent from mere 'Flamage' Mars to 'Inferno' Mars. He blinked at her and for a second he swore he could see her as she had been in the Silver Millennium. Powerful. Confident. Strong.

"My turn." She told him, and moved forwards with the confidence of that other Sailor Mars, the one from their past. Jadeite got out of the way, even bowed a little as he did it out of reflex.

Malady saw Mars coming and noticed the purposeful step of the crimson scout.

"Oh, a challenge at last, perhaps?" She cooed sweetly, fluttering her wings as if she were batting her eyelashes.

Mars snarled at her, "You bethca fat ass!" And leapt a super-powered leap straight into the air in front of Malady.

Malady snorted as the red scout flung several bursts of fire at her from midair, "My ass isn't a polite topic of conversation. And you've tried that before!" she told the scout, "It didn't work then-" she broke of as Mars herself came spinning in towards her – and tried to dodge to the left, only to find a barrage of fireballs in the way.

"Burn in hell you stupid cow!" Mars roared, and her entire body caught alight with her flame.

Jadeite watched, open-mouthed from the ground, as Mars wreathed herself in her own flame, becoming nothing more than a fiery shape in the dark sky as she closed in on her enemy.

Malady again tried to dodge, but Mars found it an easy thing to throw another handful of blistering fireballs in her way, forcing her to brake in midair.

The inferno that was Mars collided with Malady an instant later, her spinning kick slamming into the creatures' side and burning her deeply for an instant before flinging her to the ground with such terrific force that Jadeite staggered backwards as the shock wave rolled over him. A cloud of dust rose, and the ground cracked outwards in a spider web fashion from the point of impact.

He wasted no time dwelling on the awesomeness of his girl, however, and leapt straight into the air, jumping straight at Mars who was floating as if she had her own wings.

"My turn!" he called and was rewarded with a battle-powered, mega-watt smile that knocked the air out of him for an instant.

Mars caught him by the arm, used his own momentum to swing him up, then around, then down, letting go and sending him shooting with incredible speed straight down towards the downed Doom and Gloom girl.

He angled his sword for her heart, and his speed was such that when he struck the ground shook. Mars watched silently from the sky as the cloud of dust and debris spewed up from the ground, obscuring Jadeite from her view, followed quickly by a large yellow fireball. She wasn't worried, she told herself as she scanned the cloud, the idiot could take care of himself.

Jadeite reappeared after a moment, grinning wickedly, singed and covered with soot and dust, but his bright eyes glowed for the first time since she had seen him again. Mars let the super heated air under her cool and lowered herself to the ground. She had forgotten that particular move of hers even before the end of the Silver Millennium. It wasn't one she used much, wearing a skirt made flying awkward, to say the very least.

Jadeite came towards her, his eyes suddenly serious and intent on her own startled gaze. Mars found herself backing up suddenly, unaccountably frightened by that look, even as she was held transfixed by it. She didn't move fast enough; Jadeite's arms went around her, he twisted her off her feet and-

* * *

Serena watched her friends carefully as she led them over the now barren, dusty terrain. The fields of rocks had given way to dunes of soft, black gravel that shifted like sand underfoot, and it made the going difficult. It slipped underfoot and it was hard to keep your balance. Consequentially they had to stop and rest more often.

Endymion walked beside her, alert for any danger so she felt safe enough to drop back a little and talk to Mercury, who had been suspiciously quiet as of late.

"So, Amz, whats up? Besides the obvious, I mean. You've been pretty quiet."

Mercury threw her a strange look, but responded warmly enough, "I'm alright. Just tired, I guess. You don't get much sleep in a Nega-cell, believe me."

Serena winced at the reminder of what her friend had been through, "Yeah, about that, are you ok?" she asked quietly.

Mercury exchanged a glance with Zoi who was hovering protectively nearby, and her lip twitched a little as Serena watched, "We're fine." The blunette assured her friend.

Serena nodded and there was an awkward silence, punctuated only by the crunching of feet on gravel.

"Where you a Lunar Agent when we met?" Mercury asked at last.

Serena nodded, "Yes, but only just."

"And that car crash you were in, was that anything to do with the Negaverse?"

A tense silence fell over the group as Mercury asked this question and Serena became aware of her parents and Endymion listening closely for her answer.

"No," she responded, "No, that was just plain old human stupidity. My unnatural healing abilities may have started then, I'm not sure, but no, there was nothing supernatural about that crash. Mores the pity. It's easier to blame things like that on magic than human stupidity."

Mercury agreed, but declined to comment and again an awkward silence fell.

"So..." Serena said at last, "I'm sorry."

Mercury blinked at her, "What for?"

"For not telling you about who I am. I can see its thrown you a bit."

"More than you finding out about me being a Sailor Scout?"

"Well," Serena admitted, grinning a bit, "I'll concede I got a bit of a shock. Mild mannered Amy, a Sailor Scout? And not just a Sailor, but Sailor Mercury, the ice-cool super-genius Really?"

Mercury smiled a trifle coolly, "Those who underestimate me don't tend get a second chance."

"And you just happened to move to Tokyo with your mother and start school the day Sailor Moon first appeared." Serena added dryly, "Some coincidence that is."

Mercury frowned, "I had noticed that. Lita, Mina and I are all new to the area, whereas you and Raye had been around for a long time. Its too much of a coincidence for us to become scouts and friends, isn't it?"

Serena nodded, then shrugged, "Destiny, I guess."

"Or Sailor Moon pulling strings?"

Serena snorted, "I doubt it. She's not that manipulative. Or clever." Endymion shot her an amused look over his shoulder. Luna snorted something uncomplimentary under her breath.

"Maybe." Mercury didn't sound convinced, and silence fell yet again.

"It's alright." She said after a while, surprising Serena, who glanced up.

"I forgive you. After all, I didn't tell you who I was either."

Serena smiled, the warmth of the grin dazzling Mercury into stillness, just for a second, and for that instant, she wasn't talking to Serena, but someone else, someone she loved dearly, someone she desperately wanted to see again.

_Serenity? _

The moment passed and Mercury was left blinking, astounded at herself.

Zoisite must have noticed the change in her posture, because his hand was on her shoulder, "Mercury?" he asked anxiously.

Mercury shook him off, and stepped towards Serena, who had stopped when she had, taken aback by Mercury's sudden stillness.

Mercury clamped her hands on Serena's arms, just above the elbows. Serena blinked in shock.

"You-" Mercury started, only to find her throat closing up, "_You!" _she shook Serena weakly.

She couldn't form the words properly. She stared into those crystalline blue eyes, seeing the past and present melding into one and opening and shutting her mouth like a fish.

She twisted to face Zoisite without letting go of her princess, intending to fill him in on her revelation, only to find him hiding a smirk –_ oh! That rat fink! He already knew! _She spun to Endymion then, to check that he knew too – and he was grinning at them. She turned to Luna, who had a slight smirk on her face. She knew too. Mercury stared around in shock for a second then realised that their families and friends were watching, flabbergasted – except for Grandpa Hino who seemed to be suppressing laughter. _What, even the old pervert knows? _

She turned back to Serena, realised that she was gripping her friend tightly, and let go.

"Am I the last to know?" she squeaked out, at last coherent enough to form words.

Serenity's eyes were filled with worry, relief and – was that _fear?_

"No, you're the first one to figure it out." The princess spoke hurriedly, clasping Mercury's gloved hands, "I'm so sorry Amy, I wanted to tell you so many times, but there were so many reasons to keep quiet and then-" she stopped herself, taking a deep breath, watching Mercury's face carefully, "Then I got more and more frightened of how you guys would react when I finally did tell you."

Mercury stared at her, so many things adding together, and making sense at last. The warm relationship between Serena and Darien, Sailor Moon's protectiveness, Serena's fear.

_Fear. _ It was showing in Serenity's eyes now, Mercury felt a lump grow in her throat. Her princess was scared of how she was going to react to this.

"Tell them what?" Serena's mother asked curiously.

Mercury shook herself, "Nothing." She said quietly, "It's alright. I just remembered meeting Serena in the Millennium, that's all."

What was she going to do? Tell Serena's family that their daughter was a dead Lunar Princess? That was Serena's job, when they were safe and home.

"This presents a complication, though." She said, tugging Serena's arm until the Princess-dressed-as-an-Agent walked next to her as they all moved off. She was also, Serena noted worriedly, hiding a smug grin.

"What's that?" Serena asked warily.

Mercury shoty her a wrt look, "You promised Mars that next time you had a life-altering secret you'd tell her first. I don't want to be around when she finds out you didn't."

* * *

Beryl watched the end of the fight between sailor Mars and Malady from her throne in the centre of her court. Around her creatures of her court, both humanoid and monster were waiting restlessly for her orders. her lip curled in disgust as Malady met her end, causing many to shrink away from her. Really, these Nega-creatures were useless. Humans were much better tools – much hardier. Once upon a time, she had baulked at the use of humans, but those days were long gone. Once she had been a human, but those days were long gone too. For a second she longed for her days as a simple earthen woman, but only for a second. _Power has a price,_ she reminded herself, _and I paid it gladly. _

She watched as Jadeite – her Jadeite! – tipped Sailor Mars off her feet and kissed her passionately.

"Disgusting." She growled, curling her hands into fists so tight that her nails bit deep into her skin. Dark blood welled up from between her pale, clenched fingers and dripped onto the arms of her black throne.

"Your Majesty?" asked the last Doom and Gloom Girl tentatively from where she stood in the shadows, ready to be dispatched. Beryl regarded her for a second. She was the last Doom and Gloom Girl Beryl had, and the strongest. But the Sailor Scout were proving to be much more of a match for her this time round than they had in the past. Damn those stupid, disloyal, _human_ generals! They had been far too easy to brainwash, and now she was paying for her laxness where they were concerned. She had indulged their handsome faces a little too much, she felt now. She glared down at the Dark Crystal that showed the main group of escapees. They had made remarkable time, crossing the black snow plains and tundra of rocks. It would be less than an hour before they were practically on her doorstep.

She smiled, and those of her court still nearby shrunk from that smile, shaking with dread.

"Vicera. You are to kill Sailor Mercury. General Zoisite too, if you can manage it." Beryl told the creature, who started a little,

"Ma'am? General Zoi as well?"

"YES!" roared Beryl, "KILL THE TRAITOR!"

Vicera bowed, "Yes, your majesty!" and fled.

Beryl leant back in her throne, her mind filling once again with the memories of long ago, and she clenched her hands, staring balefully into the distance.

"Serenity," she promised yet again, "I will wipe you from existence for what you have done to me."

* * *

Mercury's computer beeped and she glanced down at it.

"Another one." she announced, and squared her shoulders, "My turn, I guess."

"And me." Zoisite interjected immediately, sending a questioning glance at Endymion who nodded reassuringly, not about to stop the General from accompanying his soul mate.

"No!" Mercury's mother cried, "This isn't- this can't be!"

"Mum," Mercury smiled gently, "Mum, this is something I have to do. Something I was born to do. Created to do. I'll be fine. Zoisite will be with me."

Her mother started to cry, "I hate this!" she sobbed, "I only just got you back! I can't be alone again!"

Mercury took a deep breath and grabbed her mum's shoulders, shaking her gently, "Mum, snap out of it, ok? You've got to be strong. I'm built for this – just like you're always saying the mind is made to be used, right? I'm made to fight evil. It's a much a part of me as breathing."

"Poetic." Commented Hayate from where he slouched his usual slouch, though the look in his eyes belied his calm manner. Amy was a sweet, quiet kid. Out of all the girls, she was the one he had the least amount of faith in. Mars' temper obviously made her a contender, and Serena and Jupiter's strength and speed lent them advantages in battle. Venus had a powerful look in her eyes, but Mercury... Mercury was a small, skinny, staid bookworm. Not a superhero. Even with the buff, geeky guy by her side, could she take on one of these nasties?

Serena rolled her eyes at him. Mercury ignored him and watched her mother.

Her mother took great gasping sobs to calm herself, seeing the calm resolve in her daughters eyes.

"But I'm frightened for you." She whispered to her little girl,

Mercury's eyes softened, and she smiled and Dr Mizuno was suddenly struck by how much her daughter had grown up lately, and then reminded herself this little girl was actually closer to thirty than fifteen.

"It'll be ok, I promise." Mercury said gently.

Her mother thought about it for a long second, and turned as the last Doom and Gloom girl appeared over a dune of black sand. For a second the doctor looked like she was going to start crying again. Then she sucked in e deep breath and turned back to her daughter.

"You kick her ass, sweetie." She told her daughter, and moved away with the others.

Serena paused long enough to squeeze Mercury's hand as she went passed, "Take care of each other." She told the pair, and then caught up with Darien and her family.

The creature stood waiting for them off to one side. Her pale orange skin and bright orange bikini standing out against the dark backdrop of the Negaverse around them. Her hair was long, and curly, and she wore a jewelled tiara like the other Doom and Gloom Girls. She didn't look cold, or uncomfortable in her outfit. She was smirking. She had scars on her right arm. Mercury processed all this, as well as the overly muscled legs, skinny arms by comparison and glowing jewels on her rings.

"So, I'm fighting you?" The creature asked in a strangely American drawl. "Alrighty then. I'm Vicera."

"Assessment?" Zoisite asked in an undertone from beside Mercury, "Jewels on her rings. Filled with dark energy, I'd say." He added quickly, as always.

Mercury nodded, he never let much slip by, "Muscled legs, skinny arms. Uses legs more as weapons, arms for magic." She told him her conclusions softly.

"Wings. Flight will make this difficult." He grumbled quietly, without taking his eyes of Vicera.

"Can't see a focus point for her spells though. You'd think she'd have one, most Nega-creeps do, right?"

He nodded, "They can't channel spiritual energy like we humans can, and they have to steal it from others. Should have a focus point for that somewhere. Usually they're small, like a jewel embedded into the skin or something to act as a conduit for their physical energy and mix it with the stolen energy – in this case, the stolen energy she's stockpiled in those rings." He sighed.

"Could one of her rings be a disguised focus point?" Mercury asked softly.

Zoisite was about to answer when Vicera, who had been tapping her foot impatiently, snapped out, "Oi! Ya pair o' pansies! Are we gonna do this or what?"

There was a beat of silence, as both Scout and General paused and looked askance at each other.

"Oh, she didn't..."

Mercury frowned, "Actually, she really did."

Zoisite unsheathed his sword, its icy blade sending puffs of cold steam into the air, "Pansy."

Mercury flicked her fingers and a shaft of ice appeared in her gloved hand, sparkling, "If there's a word we hate."

"Its 'pansy." Zoiiste finished, stalking forwards.

"If there's a thing we hate." Mercury continued, circling to the left.

"It's being underestimated because you think we're geeks!" Zoisite finished.

"Don't estimate us!" they finished together and charged the monster.

* * *

**AN: Worth the wait I hope? **

**See you next time! **


	22. So cold (Vicera)

**AN: Sorry! I know, I know, you're all going, "What? She's not dead?" and "Holy **** she updated!" **

**Chapter Dedicated to Minamoon for harassing me, with double thanks to RKF22 (again), as not week goes by where that name doesn't pop up in my inbox. Cheers guys! **

**Read on. I quite like this chapter, hope you do too! **

**Title: **_**So cold, it burns.**_**  
**

**Speaking of Burning, I live in Tasmania, Australia. Bushfire season is here with a vengeance. Last count over one hundred homes have been lost, and the fire's aren't out with windy, hot conditions forecasted. The damage bill is running to the millions. Smoke has been lying over the capital city, Hobart, so thick in places you can't see the mountains around us. Not fun! Thankfully, no one has died so far. **

* * *

Darien stumbled on another loose pile of small rocks at the top of one of the large, dark sand dunes. Aware of his princely status and his elders nearby he swallowed a swear word as he tried to regain his balance. Behind him, he heard a muttered oath and the sound of a dune of the black rocks slipping. A small wave of the pebbles covered his ankles, and he turned to see Hayate sliding on his rear at an alarming pace – straight towards him.

_Oh shit._

Hayate slammed into Darien's legs with a yelp. Darien grunted as his feet were dragged out from under him and they tumbled together to the bottom of the dune. This time Darien _did_ swear out loud.

There was a beat of silence as the dust settled and Darien sat up as far as he was able with Hayate's legs on top of him and glowered at the skinny teen. Hayate groaned and lifted his head to meet Darien's accusing glare, and then dropped his head into the dust.

"Ouch." he muttered.

"Have a good trip, boys?" Serena chuckled as she skidded to a graceful stop next to them.

Both guys shot her identical, irritated looks and she chuckled and moved away. Darien watched her go, taking the time to appreciate her fine rear end.

_Wham._

Darien turned, startled after Hayate punched him in the arm. Hayate sat glaring at him, eyes dangerous. Darien wondered briefly how Serena ever made friends with this strange, scary young man.

"What was that for?" Darien demanded indignantly.

"I saw that, man." Hayate hissed angrily.

"Saw what?" Darien asked, though he had a feeling he knew what.

"You was jus' chekin' out Rena," Hayate hissed quietly as the rest of the group started to slip and slid down the dune too. "You got a princess waiting for you somewhere, and you're checking her out?" Hayate leaned in close to the older man, "Don't screw with her, a'ight? She's too good for you."

Darien raised an eyebrow, amused and strangely touched for Serena's sake, "I know she is." But he couldn't resist his own warning, "She's too good for you too."

Hayate stared at him, as if weighing up the truthfulness of his first statement, and then laughed, "We aint ever gonna be more than friends. And I've never wanted more 'an that." He told the older man, then, apparently deciding that Darien was ok, he grinned conspiratorially, "Hey, keep this a secret, cus she'd kill me if she knew, but I check out her fine ass from time to time too."

Darien paused a second, torn between telling Serena what Hayate had said and beheading the young man himself. Then he laughed and stood, hauling Hayate to his feet as he did so, "Here's a secret for you." He murmured into Hayate's ear as they began to move off, "She's the princess. _My_ Princess. Serenity."

Hayate blinked in astonishment, "No shit? Really?"

At Darien's nod Hayate's brow furrowed.

"Whoa, man, I aint checking her out no more." He shot Darien a frightened glance, "You one scary mother!"

Darien laughed again. While the thought of someone else eyeing Serena in that way made him jealous in a delightful, chauvinistic way, at the same time he could appreciate exactly _why _the male populace found her so attractive, and was inordinately proud of it.

Hayate was silent for a few minutes and they continued to trudge side by side until Hayate turned to Darien with a question.

"You _sure_ she's the Princess?"

Darien glanced down at him, curious, "Pretty darn."

Hayate shook his head in a disbelieving manner, "But, she's like, the worlds clumsiest kid. And she eats like a horse. And she screeches like a banshee... and... and... and she _swears_!"

Darien shrugged, chuckling, "I didn't say she was the traditional cliche. But honestly, a traditional cliché would just be..." he pulled a face, and this time Hayate was the one who chuckled as he caught on,

"Boring!" they said together and continued on their way.

* * *

Mercury glowered down at her screen. Her analysis wasn't going well. Vicera was fast, and strong. Her poor little PC – even though it was centuries ahead of current technology – was struggling to lock onto the quickly moving creature.

Zoisite was doing his best, darting around the evil fairy, taunting her and attacking all the regular humanoid blind spots – below the eye line, above the eye line, behind, above... it wasn't working. It was almost as if the creature didn't have a weakness.

For a second, panic engulfed her, and she felt very much like Amy Mizuno, attacked by bullies on her first day at a new school. Serena had stepped in then but she wasn't here to help now. Mercury took a few deep breaths, calming herself. A creature that didn't have a weakness was a statistical impossibility. Ergo, Vicera had a weakness. Ergo, they just had to find it.

But _how?_

With a grunted swear word that she'd reprimand him for – later – Zoisite landed next to after a spectacularly failed attempt at getting through Vicera's guard.

"Great," he growled, "We get the one with no obvious weaknesses."

Mercury's heart sank. She had been hoping he had noticed something she hadn't.

From the dejected look on Zoisite's face as she nodded, he had too.

"Damn." He muttered, eyeing the creature in front of them with deep hostility. Mercury took a second to appreciate the way his eyes glittered and his hair moved in the cool wind, then did a mental head smack – _concentrate on the enemy, Amy,_ she told herself severely, _then you can stare at him._

Then Zoi laughed, breaking the moment, "I guess we'll just have to go all out and kick her rear without our normal plans and assessment."

Mercury sighed, "Really, really not how I wanted this to go."

Zoisite grabbed her hand, squeezed it and smiled ruefully, "Come on, it can't be that bad, the others do it all the time."

Mercury shot him a look that told him quite clearly that that _wasn't_ a recommendation, and he laughed before lifting his sword and diving left. Mercury rolled to the right and Vicera, who had taken their short chat as an excuse to attack, slammed into the ground where they had been not a moment previous, throwing up a storm of dust and debris.

Zoisite was up and swinging down on her in a deadly arc in an instant, his sword flashing bright in the half light on the Negaverse. Without any hesitation at all, one of Vicera's hands morphed into tentacles, wrapping and trapping the blade in a single instant, though the force of his blow rocked the monster down onto one knee, and Mercury used that single instants pause to snarl out her own spell:

"Mercury Bubbles Maelstrom!"

Freezing white bubbles blew from her fingertip and froze the hand of tentacles that were wrapped around Zoisite's sword, who paused only long enough for the tentacles to freeze completely before wrenching his sword from the ice with a crack, and Vicera screamed as he broke some of the brittle, frozen appendages as he pulled away.

Vicera leapt back, gripping her arm above the wrist, staring down at three stubs where her middle fingers had been.

Mercury and Zoisite exchanged a glance, and turned back to the monster as she lifted her head enough to glare at them from under her eyebrows. The dark aura that rolled of her was almost visible, and Mercury shivered under that cold gaze.

Zoisite charged again, feinting to the left before switching blade hands in a familiar deadly move. Vicera didn't see it coming in time, and the sword pierced her shoulder.

The monster let out a piercing shriek of pain and swung her good arm around at him, nails extended into claws. Zoisite leapt away, drawing his sword with him, but leaving a splatter of blood and a shred of his sleeve. Mercury dived in, an ice spike in each hand. She wasn't as strong as Jupiter, or as quick as Sailor Moon but she could trade blows with them if she felt like it.

Today, right now, in this moment... _she felt like it._

She stabbed down with her left hand spike as she neared, and swiped across with her right as Vicera bought up her bad arm to defend. The sharp claws of her opponent raked across her shoulder even as she rolled under what could have been a killing blow from the monster, and leapt backwards, out of immediate range.

That's how it went for several minutes. She and Zoisite traded places in a tag-team offence, forcing Vicera to defend herself against a barrage of magical and purely physical attacks. Both of them soon collected a range of small wounds, though Vicera was certainly worse off, she didn't seem to be tiring as quickly as they.

Mercury continued to try and find Vicera's focus point, though she didn't get her computer out again, merely relied on the best computer of all.

Her brain.

* * *

They came to a road, wide and paved, cutting across the wasteland in a north-to-south direction. Serena peered at it, not quite brave enough to step onto it, lest something happen –she didn't have a clue what, but without Mercury and her little PC around to scan, she was feeling a little antsy about suspicious (and suspiciously convenient) roads.

"Sooo…" Andrew asked from beside her, brow furrowed as he too stood at the edge of the road, "Do we follow it you reckon?"

Endymion, beside him and wearing an identical frown to his, shrugged, "Dunno. Luna? Artemis?"

Artemis huffed a noncommittal grunt and shrugged as well, an elegant movement that had Serena recalling the fact that he really was a cat all over again.

Luna tilted her head to one side, peering in one direction, then the other,

"I think I know what this is. The Negaverse doesn't tend to use structures like this since-" she broke off as yet another tremor shook the ground under their feet. Sammy, too tired to try and keep his balance, sat down with a thump, letting the ground shake him as it would. Beside him, his mother crouched to wrap and arm around him comfortingly, exhaustion showing on her face too.

Grandpa Hino fell to his knees with a grunt, but otherwise everyone managed to stay on their feet. The tremor lasted a full five minutes and when it was over there was silence as they all took a moment to rest.

"Like I was saying," Luna continued after a time, "they don't tend to build roads and structures here where the earthquakes are worst. The fact that they've made a road is significant, and I think I know why they have."

Serena, who had dropped into a crouch to rest beside her brother, looked up, startled, "The Dark Crystals?"

Endymion glanced between the two, cerulean eyes sharp. "Where Beryl's been storing her dark energy?"

Luna nodded, "They'd need a quick way to travel between the two areas, and she won't have put the crystals to close to her home, the aura of power they give off would interfere with her scrying magics."

"What, like TV and radio waves can interfere with each other?" asked Hayate, frowning.

Artemis nodded, "Exactly like. Basically, magic has a frequency all its own, and each discipline of magic its own within that. Some magics, like the destruction magic that Jupiter, Mars and Mercury use, will work practically anywhere, it's what we call robust. Magics like scrying, telepathy and healing are delicate and need finesse, so its hard to use them when there are very powerful magical objects about that give of magical auras that will interfere."

"So Beryl, who likes to scry, wouldn't have the Crystals near her home." Serena concluded, looking along the road first one way, and then another.

Endymion watched her, apprehension growing in his gut when he saw the wheels turning behind her cobalt eyes. Sure enough she looked around at them, a resolution on her face, "We have to destroy the crystals. Beryl can attack earth if we don't."

"I thought we were just trying to get out of here?" Melvin complained in an accusing tone from where he too had taken a seat in the black dust. He looked worse for wear, Endymion noted with a guilty start, realising he hadn't been paying much attention to Serena's school friend.

"It's all fine and good if we do, Melvin, but if we leave things as they are it'll be a matter of weeks before the Negaverse attacks Earth properly, and let me be clear on this," Serena held up a slender hand in warning, forestalling any protests, "When they attack, they attack with an invasion force, not the single monsters we've seen so far. There will be many, and we won't have a chance. Even with the Sailor Scouts."

She watched that sink in, eyes flicking from face to face, taking in pinched, weary expressions and fearful body language. Her chest ached, how desperately she wished she could save them all from this battle! She swallowed the feeling with difficulty and returned her attention to the conversation around her.

Luna was nodding her head, agreeing with Serena, "We can't leave things as they are now." she agreed, "The Crystals must be destroyed."

"Ok, but how?" piped up Reika, who was leaning heavily on Andrew, "Do we split up? Do we all go? I for one vote for a rest before we do anything!"

There were no dissenters to that, and everyone sat down to rest, forming small groups to discuss the situation, or merely sit silently and stare vacantly over the barren land they had crossed. The three Lunar Agents gathered together, along with Endymion, all of them keeping a wary eye on the horizons.

* * *

Mercury ducked a sweep of dark magic, and it sailed over her head – too close; she saw several blue hairs flutter away. Far too close!

After their ice trick with her tentacle arms, Vicera had stopped using her arms and started using her legs. As Mercury had noticed earlier, she was better built for use of her legs than her arms. it was showing. Mercury now had a large graze on her cheek, and what she suspected was a cracked rib.

Zoisite wasn't faring much better. Though he had the physical means to block most of Viceras attacks – his sword – he had been caught by her speed more than once and was limping badly now.

_Drat it all,_ Mercury thought, even as she rolled away from a heel kick that would have crushed her spine (it left a crater in the ground where Vicera's foot landed). _If only we knew where her dratted focus point was. she's not this strong without magical help! _

She knew that, which is why she had targeted the fingers with her ice – but the loss of the three fingers and the rings that had presumably housed her dark energy hadn't fazed the monster in the slightest.

_Figures._ Mercury grunted as she threw several Ice Spikes at Vicera, trying to distract her from Zoi, who was floundering a little under the barrage of kicks Vicera was using. _I assume something, and I'm wrong. This is why I wait for empirical proof. Stupid, Amy, stupid. _she admonished herself, darting away as Vicera turned her attention on her. _You know better than to jump to conclusions._

There was a beat of stillness as the three combatants paused to catch their breath, and Mercury took the chance to look over the monster again.

She smirked a little; _there really isn't anyway to hide anything in that outfit. That means I can see the focus point for her magic, I just don't know what I'm looking at. What else could it be? Maybe it is hidden, but in her hair? There's certainly enough of it to hide something in... _

Zoisite sucked in ragged breaths, watching Vicera warily. She stood about five metres away, poised but a little bloody. _Unfortunately,_ he thought grimly _She's faring better than Mercury and I. _he glanced at his Scout. Mercury stood about three metres to his right, holding her injured side. She was frowning at Vicera and he could almost see the cogs turning behind her baby blues. _Some things never change. _

Vicera turned and used her powerful legs to throw herself at Zoisite, keeping herself low to the ground, eyes gleaming with deadly ire. Zoisite bought up his sword to block her, bracing himself for impact, but in the last instant she flung open her wings, braking in midair, and kicked out to her right.

Things slowed to an absolute crawl for Zoisite. He saw Vicera's eyes change as they focused on her true target. Saw Mercury still frowning, not paying attention, and realised he was moving, faster than Vicera, faster than he ever had before,

"AMY! Lookout!"

The hoarse cry broke Mercury out of her reverie, and her eyes focused to see Vicera bearing down on her. She had no time to raise a shield, no time to dodge or duck.

THWUNK.

For several seconds there was silence.

Mercury opened her eyes, wondering when she had shut them and why it didn't hurt.

Vicera stared down her arm at the General who had stepped in the way of her tentacles in the last second. She had shaped them to be the perfect killing blow, long, thin and sharp, so sharp. She curled her lip in disgust and jerked her arm away, pulling the spike free from where it was lodged in the general's chest with an awful wet, sliding sound. He swayed on his feet for second, eyes showing nothing but pain, before collapsing to his knees.

As he fell, he revealed to Vicera the scout he had protected. Mercury's hair moved a little, as Zoisite fell, the only part of her to shift at all. The Scout's blue eyes were wide, staring straight ahead at where the back of her lover had been not a moments previous.

Vicera liked the look in her eyes, that disbelieving yet believing, relieved and guilty gaze. Liked it so much she laughed.

The hard, cruel sound broke the scout out of whatever trance she was in, and she screamed, diving for her fallen lover, pushing an arm under his shoulders and lifting him into her lap as best she could.

Zoisite's eyes were open, and as she cradled him, they focused.

"Amy," he breathed, "Amy, you're not hurt?"

Mercury's face pulled into a weeping grimace, and she shook her head, "No, no honey, I'm fine." she sobbed.

Zoisite smiled and touched her cheek, "Good," he breathed, "Good." he shut his eyes, but kept his hand stroking her cheek.

Mercury cradled him closer and looked down at his chest. The wound was severe, and would kill him soon, she knew. She ran through all the medical training she had, and found nothing that she could do here.

Vicera kept laughing.

Zoisite heard her through the pain that was wrapping him, and frowned.

"Hey, Amy." he whispered, and felt her shift a little and tried not to wince as his chest burned.

"Yeah?" her voice was wobbly. Zoisite opened his eyes and looked up at her, seeing the grief in her face. He felt his grief threaten to rise and choke him, but swallowed thickly and whispered two words.

"Get her."

Mercury blinked down at him, and then nodded, "I will." she promised desolately.

Vicera stopped laughing, "Now what are you going to do, little scout?"

Mercury, still looking down at Zoisite, clenched her jaw. Her hair started to move as if pushed by the breeze, though Vicera could feel no movement in the air. The Nega Monster watched in amazement as the ground around her two enemies became shiny. Mercury and Zoisite's breath became fog in the air, and ice crystals formed in their hair and eyelashes.

Vicera found herself backing away, suddenly frightened by the ice cracking sounds that seemed to come from beneath the two.

A cold wind began to blow around Mercury, and she lifted her head and glared at the Doom and Gloom Girl, who shivered at the look in those eyes. There was a reason, Vicera had been told, a reason that Mercury was called the 'Ice Scout'. This was it. Those weren't eyes anymore, they were icicles shaped like eyes.

Mercury glared for a second more before looking down at the man in her arms. Vicera watched as she placed a hand on the open wound in Zoisite's chest, saw him tense as if in pain.

Mercury murmured something softly and Ice seemed to _flow_ like water from that hand, encasing first the wound, and then the whole man. Mercury moved back and still the ice flowed from her outstretched hand. Vicerea couldn't tear her eyes away. _Is this the power of the fabled Sailor Scouts?_ She wondered, as the entire area became a swirling mass of snow and ice, _what can we do against this? Queen Beryl… I hope you have a plan to deal with them! _

Mercury jerked her hand, and all the ice on the ground and in the air rushed to her, forming a towering, frozen pillar of ice that encased her lover.

"This is what I am going to do." Mercury spoke, her voice void of any emotion.

Vicera flung herself at the scout using a flurry of kicks that drove the petite blunette back against the ice tower she had created.

Just as Vicera was spinning for a round house that she hoped would not only incapacitate the scout, but also smash the pillar behind her, Mercury bought up her own kick, a perfect blow to Viceras stomach that sent her flying.

She landed, bounced, and landed again. Mercury was on her in an instant, ice spike in each hand, driving one into Vicera's already wounded shoulder, the other she turned and pressed the flat against the monsters neck as Vicera shrieked and bucked in pain.

"I should have been strong enough to do this earlier." Mercury snarled, before leaning in close to the Doom and Gloom Girl, who stilled in fear.

"I only _just got him back._" Mercury hissed, and jerked the pike out of Vicera's shoulder, intending to slam it into the heart of this creature –

Vicera threw everything she had into the spell, and both arms became a writhing mass of tentacles that enfolded the scout with a speed she couldn't counter, thrusting her up and away from Vicera, leaving her hanging, arms akimbo but legs bound together, in mid air, completely helpless.

Vicera stood slowly, weakly, but still sneering, "I was worried for a second there. But if this is all the great Sailor Mercury is capable of, well, it's just pathetic."

Mercury jerked her head, snarling wordlessly at her, and Vicera leaned in so close her hot breath scalded Mercury's face, "_Both_ of you. Pathetic."

Mercury's mind flashed onto several things at once. The need for a focus point. It wasn't the rings. There was another jewel on Vicerea – her tiara. She could mover her right arm a little. Enough? _Yes!_

She summoned her mini PC from where she kept it in the subspace pocket that all Scouts had. Its small, compact frame appeared, fitting into her hand nicely.

Vicera didn't see it coming. One instant she was sneering at the girl, the next there was a tearing sound as Mercury literally ripped her right arm from her binds and slammed the corner of the rock-hard PC case onto Vicera's tiara, shattering it.

Vicera reared back, screaming and clutching her face as shards of both the PC and her tiara cut into her skin. Her tentacles retreated and Mercury fell, landing oddly and yelping as her ankle turned the wrong way. Vicera staggered away, still screaming and Mercury took a couple unlaboured breaths, eyes searching the now icy terrain for – there.

Zoisistes sword lay where he had dropped it in his headlong rush to save her. She ran/hobbled for it, scooping it up and spinning back to Vicera who was still screaming. A single jump/lunge and Mercury knew it was over. Vicera stopped screaming, going slowly limp around the sword buried in her chest. Her eyes stared, surprised into Mercury's cold gaze for a second, before she disintegrating into dust.

Silence. Mercury stood, right arm dripping blood, side screaming. In one hand she held the remains of her shattered PC, in the other, Zoisites sword. It took a little while for her numb brain to accept the fact that Vicera was gone, and when she did, she looked down at the weapons in her hands with a strange expression before dropping them both, one on top of the other at her feet.

She turned, intending to move over to the ice tower she had created for Zoisite, but everything went dark instead.

* * *

"Reika is right, how are we going to manage destroying the Dark Crystals and keeping everyone safe?" Serena asked quietly, hiding the nervous twitch in her hands by sticking them in her pockets.

Endymion passed a weary hand over his forehead with a sigh.

"As much as I hate to say it," he said slowly, "I think we'll have to have someone go to take care of the crystals alone, and meet up with us later. We just physically cannot drag these people to the crystals, back here again and then still expect them to be fit enough to escape through the gate under their own steam. Look at them, they're exhausted!" He made an expansive gesture at the group around them.

Luna glanced around. Indeed, the humans were all looking exhausted. She caught Molly's glance as the girl looked up, and saw the hope and trust in the red heads eyes.

She couldn't imagine what those eyes would say if they failed in protecting them.

"I'll go."

Something in Endymion's heart twisted and stabbed at him when Serena spoke, and he turned pained eyes on her. She was standing there, dirty and dishevelled, but a steely resolution in her crystalline eyes.

_/Why you?/ _he demanded silently.

_/Because I know enough crystal lore to destroy them properly, and someone's gotta do it./ _she responded immediately, her mental voice showing a twinge of the resolution, and a hint of apology.

_/Send someone else. Luna. Artemis. Wait for the scouts. Anything! Anyone else!/ _he snapped out into her mind, and saw her wince at the force of his mental voice. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

Serena shook her head, _/Endymion, you __**know**__ we can't afford to wait. we'd be sitting ducks – and as for the scouts-/ _ her mental voice broke off suddenly in the silent equivalent of someone choking back tears, _/we're not even sure the Scouts are coming./ _

Endymion stared at her, completely horrified. She had been acting normal-ish since the Scouts had gone off to their battles. He hadn't even thought for a second that she might be doubting that they would return! _She must have been terrified for them, all this time! _He realised, before swallowing his shock and responding out loud, quietly but firmly.

"Have faith in the girls – and the guys, Serena. They won't let us down. They'll be back soon."

Luna and Artemis, both of whom were aware of the silent conversation going on across their little group, had been standing patiently, waiting for the two to finish their conference, and now glanced back and forth interestedly.

Serena ducked her head with a sigh, and took a deep breath before lifting her face again, and startling them with the tears on her eyelashes.

"Sorry." she murmured, wiping at her eyes, blushing at the troubled looks she was receiving, "I've been so worried about them. Thankyou… that was just what I needed to hear."

Endymion reached out and she fell into his arms without a second thought. He held her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head and exchanging glances with Luna and Artemis.

"I'll come with you, Serena." Luna said quietly, "We're both fast. We can go, and be back even before these guys reach the Dark Gate."

Serena peeked out of Endymion's shirt, and smiled gratefully at Luna, and Luna managed a weak smile in return, remembering the little girl she had loved so dearly on the Moon, and realising that the little girl was still there, just hidden carefully and growing up fast.

"Hey," Endymion protested quietly, aware of the curious looks they were receiving (not least because Serena was still in his arms), "What about me? I could go too."

Both Luna and Artemis shook their heads, "We can't leave these people without an authority figure, Endymion. Since they don't know who Serena is, they've been looking to you for leadership, albeit unconsciously for some of them. You need to stay and keep them calm."

Endymion tossed that statement around in his head for a second before sagging in a dejected way that made Serena smile from under his chin, "Fine, I get it." he leaned down to whisper in Serena's ear, "Promise me you'll be safe, that I'll see you soon."

Serena nodded, "I promise. Love you."

He smiled into her hair, "Love you too."

Serena took a deep breath and pulled away.

"Alright, Luna, lets go."

Luna nodded, and let Serena step past her before kissing Artemis on the cheek (and whispering something in his ear that made the pale man invent a new shade of red) before glancing at Endymion and nodding at the unspoken question in his eyes.

_Will you keep her safe? _

_I will. _

"Righto!" Serena called to the group at large (ignoring her father's glare). They all looked up and Serena waved, "Luna and I are going to take care of the Dark Crystals. We'll meet you at the gate. Ciao!"

"Wa? Wa- Wait!" Serena's mothers called, scrambling to her feet, "You can't just leave!"

Serena smiled at her mother, already backing down the road, Luna beside her, "Can too. Sorry mum, I promise I'll be careful. See you soon!"

"Hey! Tsukino, you can't just leave us like that!" Hayate called, exasperated, "At least explain something! Why you?"

Serena smiled a little sadly, "We're the ones who know what to do." she explained, "And we're the quickest."

Kenji leapt to his feet and ran after his daughter, "Serena, I forbid it!" he yelled, white face betraying his fear, "You'll stay with us!"

Serena, still backing away, watched her father sadly, "Sorry, Dad," She murmured, "A Rose is a rose is a rose, after all."

Then both she and Luna seemed to shift a little – Endymion had seen it before, when Sailor Moon shifted into a faster mode. They were miles away in seconds, their magically powered bodies growing smaller and smaller as they receded into distance down the road.

Kenji ground to a halt, staring after his daughter.

"What'd she mean?" Andrew asked the air, "when she said 'a rose is a rose is a rose'?"

Artemis shrugged, "She is what she is, and has to do what she has to do, I suppose."

Kenji spun around, "And what exactly is she?" he spat, "An alien from the moon? My daughter? Was she ever a child, or has she just taken Serena's place?"

Artemis narrowed his eyes at the tired man, "We prefer Lunarian, rather than alien." his eyes softened, "And Serena is the same girl she was a year ago. She just has magic powers now."

"But she's not," Ikuko said quietly, "she's changed, hasn't she, Molly?"

She turned to her daughter's best friend, who started a little at being asked such a question.

Grandpa Hino snorted before Molly could answer, "It's called growing up, Ikuko. Children do that, no matter how much we wish they'd stay a babe in arms forever." he has a wistful look on his face, making Endymion think he wasn't just talking about Serena.

There was a silence then, that stretched for several minutes. Kenji sat down, and the others seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, when a nose from the way they had come across the wasteland had them all turning in time to see a huge shining, jagged pillar thrust into the sky with a creaking, cracking sound.

"What was that?" gasped Reika.

"Mercury, I imagine. I hope they worn." Endymion murmured.

"Amy!" Dr Mizuno cried, starting to her feet, eyes searching the cloud of dust now rising in the distance for any sign of her daughter.

"I have to go back!" she announced, starting on her way even as she spoke. Endymion caught up to her in four strides and took her arm.

"If she won, she will come to us. If she didn't win, then we cannot help her, no matter how hard we try or how fast we run." he told her firmly, before adding a softened, "I'm sorry."

He liked Dr Mizuno, having worked with her several times over his internship. She was a good woman, dedicated to her work and her daughter. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now. Looking at her face, he wasn't completely sure he wanted to know.

* * *

Sailor Venus came to wakefulness slowly, pushing through many layers of fog. First came memories. The fight. Malachite. Then came feeling; she was being carried, up against something warm and solid. Malachite? Sound came next, the steady footfall of a man with long, even strides. Malachite again? Sight came last and she blinked several times, waiting for her vision to clear. Gray skies wheeled over head, and above her, closer, a head of pale hair and dark skin.

He stopped and looked down at her, pale eyes wide.

"Minako?"

His voice was soft and calm, but the slight upwards lilt in it told her he was unsure of something – her reaction, probably.

He knelt and placed her down on the ground. It was soft, she noticed blearily, like sand.

Malachite, after making sure she could sit up herself, moved back a few feet and crouched down on one knee. Venus sat, unable to tear her eyes from him. He hadn't changed, or aged, at all. Not physically.

He wouldn't meet her eyes, looking down at the ground, off to the left. Anywhere but her face.

"How do you feel?" he asked a rock quietly.

Venus took stock. Her shoulder throbbed painfully where Apitha had skewered it, and her right hand, that she had burned with her own attack, was a constant sharp ache.

"Not good." she murmured, wincing, and saw his jaw tighten, and continued hurriedly, "But not too bad. How long have I been asleep?"

"About and hour. You-" he broke off, swallowed, "You would not wake, so I picked you up and headed in the direction I last saw the main group heading."

Mina looked around, "Have you seen anyone?"

"No, but I saw an electric explosion and a pillar of fire, in that direction." he pointed without lifting his head.

"Jupiter and Mars? they fought too?"

"It seems that way."

Venus considered her options, examining her feelings. She was a little surprised to find that after so long barely allowing herself the merest of affection, she was in love as deeply as she ever had been. She smiled wryly, she, of all people, knew the inevitability of soul mates. They might fight it, or love another, but in the end, they would return to each other. She loved Malachite. She forgave him.

She looked at his drawn expression critically, now if she could just get him to forgive himself…

"You haven't changed." she commented.

He flinched, and turned his face completely away, "You haven't either." he murmured.

Venus thought about that, "Haven't I?" she asked, and then nodded, "Good. But there are things about you that I wished had changed." she continued airily, ignoring his shudder, "Things like, fore example, the fact that you seem to believe every ill that befalls the people you care about is your fault." she paused and leaned towards him, speaking with and intensity that belied her apparent age, "What happened in the Millennium was _not your fault_, Malachite. What happened to us was _not your fault_. What happened to Endymion was _not your fault_. And most importantly, what happened to _you_ was not your fault."

"How can you say that?" he cried, "If we had not – if I had not – if I had been stronger – _gods!" _he surged to his feet, pacing several agitated paces one way, then the other before stopping and turning his tortured face to her at last.

"I killed you, Mina!" he cried, gesticulating wildly, "I wrapped my hands around your neck and-" he choked back a sob, holding out his hands and staring at them as if he couldn't bare to have them attached to his arms, "And I _enjoyed_ it! A part of me _relished_ the fact that I defeated my enemy!"

Venus rose shakily to her knees, "That only goes to show how deep the brainwashing she did to you went, Malachite. It wasn't you, who did that, it wasn't you who felt those things, it was the copy of you that Beryl created inside your mind!"

"But it was me! A me with different memories, yes, warped by the fake past she put in my head, but I showed her every bit of loyalty that I ever showed Endymion, every bit of friendship with the others that I ever had!"

"She picked and chose what parts of she wanted to use!" Venus got to her feet, "She could not wipe all of you, or you would have been no use to her."

"Would that she had." he whispered, eyes on the dark ground, voice full of bitter self-hatred, "Would that I was a dead husk in a grave, rather than… _this_."

Venus used all the strength she had left to slap him, catching his with her open palm across his left cheek and batting his face sideways.

"Don't you _ever_ wish for something like that again!" Venus snarled, keeping her hand in the air in case she had to knock some more sense into him, "How do you think I would feel if that had happened to you? If I had to live this new life without you?" she whispered after a second, pained, and dropped her hand.

"How can you feel anything for me, after what I did to you?" he asked brokenly.

Venus could only stare at him, heartbroken. _He truly thinks he has failed, that his existence is worthless. _She realised numbly.

"You. Are. Malachite. _My_ Malachite." she said after several silent seconds, "You were used, against your will. You could not have done anything more than you did. I know you. I know you truly regret what has happened, I know how keenly you feel it, Malachite!" she stepped forwards and cupped his face in her hands, desperately trying to get him to understand what she couldn't find the words for.

"You can make up for it," she hissed, "live this life the way you wished to live your old one! With me, if you'll have me, and with the other generals. With Endymion!"

"How will that make up for what I did?" he asked softly.

"Will sadness and self-loathing make up for it any better?" she responded immediately, arching an eyebrow, "I forgive you. Endymion forgave you already, didn't he?"

He nodded weakly.

"Well, if your brother and lover can forgive you, you can at least try to forgive yourself, I think."

Malachite peered down at her, "It's not that easy."

"Sure it is. Just say to yourself, 'self, I forgive you.'!"

He couldn't help the small twitch of his lips, "Minako…"

She rolled her eyes, "Alright, I know it's harder than that. I'm only asking that you try."

He took a deep, shuddering breath, "I'll try."

She nodded. "Good."

He sighed, and reached up to clasp her hands against his face, "I've missed you." he whispered, shutting his eyes, "All these years, I wished for you, without even knowing it was you I was missing."

"I missed you too." she murmured, leaning against him.

"Did you mean it?" he asked after a minute.

"Mean what?"

"When you said I was 'your Malachite'?"

Venus shook her head sadly, "You think I'd _ever_ have anyone else?"

He dropped his arms to wrap around her, holding her firmly but gently, "I am yours." he whispered, "Forever."

Venus found that her eyes were watering, "Damn straight," she sniffed, "and same here."

* * *

**AN: **

**Ok, haven't proof read this very well, so let me know if you see something that needs changing/fixing etc. **

**I have read every one of your reviews. And your PM's. I appreciate them all! Next chapter is not quite finished, but hopefully will be soon! **

**One of my New Years Resolutions was that I will update this every month. Here's January! IF you're lucky, you'll get two this month, since I'm on holiday. **

**Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year! **


	23. Crystal

**AN: Roses are red, violets are blue, me no own, so you no sue! **

**Proper AN at end of chappie. **

Serena and Luna crouched in front of a rock near the large walled enclosure that held the crystals. It was a large, square-ish shape made from the same black stone as the road they had found previously. The two Lunar Agents were on a rise, and they could see over the large, black stone wall from their position.

"I count fifty crystals." Luna murmured, peering down at the row upon row of evenly spaced gems. Each was about as high as an average human male, and as wide as a bear. Each was shaped vaguely like an egg, with many sharp, jagged edges spread around it. All pulsed from time to time with black light. They were placed neatly in rows of ten, and here and there they could see a shape patrolling through the rows.

Serena could feel the heaviness in the air, even from a hundred metres away. She shivered, "I can see thirteen guards. All at least fairly humanoid, meaning fairly strong. Yuck."

Luna pulled a face in agreement, "Yes. What an _awful_ place this is." she murmured.

Serena scanned the walls, "So… any ideas how to get in?"

Luna peered down at the compound. The walls were high and solid black stone. There was a large brown gate at the road entrance, and a smaller one at the back of the compound. Both seemed to be made of some kind of wood.

"The gates look to be the weakest link." she muttered, "Even with the extra guards placed by them."

Serena was nodding even before she finished her sentence, "True, and I don't fancy wasting energy on jumping the walls."

Luna eyed the blond next to her, "Can you break the gates open?"

Serena thought about it, "Probably."

"Probably?" Luna echoed, frowning.

Serena rolled blue eyes at her cat guardian, "Never tried to siege a fortress before, see? So I'm not sure if I can break the gates. Probably. If there isn't anything special about them."

Luna sighed, "Well probably is better than not at all, which is my option."

Serena gave a half shrug which was neither an agreement nor a disagreement with that statement.

"Well," she said after a beat, "no time to find out like the present, right? Off we go!"

She stood and moved down the rise, walking with fluid ease towards the huge gates. Luna sucked in a breath and blew it out in a big puff. More and more she was realising not only was this Serena just simply _different_ to the princess she had been long ago, she was stronger. Serenity would never have even thought about blowing up a fortress. Serena strolled on towards such an event with an air of casualness that made Luna sad and not a little bit frightened. Only one infinitely familiar with war could move towards such a thing with this kind of attitude.

She had been disturbed and upset by the calculation and cunning her princess had displayed hiding her true identity, pulling the scouts together without telling them – any of them, without the forthright honesty that had been so much a trademark of her younger self during the Millennium. Now, though, she had started to see what this new, cooler and less-innocent Serena was about. Serenity was still there, but this new world had not been kind to her princess. Accidents, sickness, school. It had all added up to a shield, a shield to protect her heart from the next thing that went wrong. Underneath the façade she used – that awful happy go lucky façade- was a girl who felt things just as keenly as she always had. Stronger now, carefully making sure her future turned out the way she wished – hoped – for. Protecting her friends instead of relying on them to protect her. Working on equal footing with Endymion on the battlefield – here Luna wondered briefly how the Prince was taking that, he never liked the thought of Serenity in danger, in the Millennium, and had been quite verbose about keeping her safe more than once.

Yet there was no denying that her once sweet, even tempered princess was gone.

In her place stood a seasoned warrior.

It hurt to think it. Yet, as she started down the hill after her charge, she couldn't help but wonder what the situation would be currently if Serena hadn't taken charge like she had so many months ago, as Sailor Moon, when things were still beginning.

She shuddered at the thought.

* * *

Mars stalked off. Jadeite, true to form, followed at an even pace, not bothering to tell her just yet that she was going the wrong way. He had learned a few things over the last thousand years. One of them was patience. It had taken a long time for him to lose the hot-headedness that Mars was currently exhibiting. But then again, he reminded himself, Mars was just _sixteen._ Still a child. He winced at the thought and wondered who had had it easier; he, who lived the thousand years in the dark but with the comfort of his brothers in arms beside him, or she, who had lived sixteen years without a friend. He didn't know the whole story, but he could see the changes. Her bravado was exactly that, bravado, hiding a self conscious, hurting young woman who had put up walls to keep others out.

He would wait until the walls came down. Either that or he would bring them down himself. It didn't matter. She was his, even if she wasn't ready to admit it yet, and he was good at waiting these days.

Nephrite finished bandaging the nasty gash wound on Jupiter's upper arm. He'd had to rip up his jacket, not that he minded. He'd always hated his uniforms, and no matter how much he'd needled, Endymion had refused to dispense with the stiff, uncomfortable clothing. To be quite honest, dispensing with hated jacket gave him no little sense of glee.

Jupiter herself was still unconscious, leaning peacefully against a convenient rock. He tied the bandage off, and nodded to himself before glancing around and asking himself in a mild way,

"Now what?"

Jupiter remained asleep, and while he could carry her easily, he had no idea in which direction to go. He'd never had a head for directions.

_This is ridiculous. This place has been your home for a thousand years, and you still get lost. _ He told himself exasperatedly.

He settled himself down next to Jupiter, content to wait until she was awake before making a move.

He hadn't been there long when he heard footsteps, and leapt to his feet, drawing his sword in a smooth motion, eyes scanning for threats.

He needn't have worried. A familiar pair came around one of the spikes of rock left untouched by Jupiter's Electric Storm attack. He blinked at them, and they at him for a beat,

"Hey there!" he exclaimed at last, gesturing with his sword to the tall, silver haired man, "It's about time you woke up, you were getting heavy!"

Malachite merely raised a silver eyebrow at his friend's greeting, before turning a worried gaze to the woman on the ground behind Nephrite.

"Is she…?" Venus began, gesturing to the other scout.

"Hm? Oh, no, she's fine. Just exhausted. She put a new crater in for us. See?" He gestured to their right in a proud fashion.

"She did _that_?" Venus gazed in awe at the crater they were standing next to, a large expanse of concave rubble.

"She did." Nephrite couldn't help but feel proud of this. His girl packed a wallop!

"_She_ has a name, and is awake." Jupiter grumbled, and Nephrite was by her side in an instant, helping her to her feet, Venus on her other side ready to help if need be.

"How do you feel?" Venus asked Jupiter quietly. Nephrite took the chance to glance over at Malachite with and enquiring expression. Malachite met his look for a second, his pale eyes serious, then nodded, a hint of a smile playing around his lips. Nephrite glanced at Venus meaningfully and waggled both eyebrows playfully at his commander. Malachite's cheeks actually went pink and he looked away, making Nephrite smile. It seemed Venus had worked her usual charm.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Jupiter waved their help away and stood on her own, "How long have I been out?"

Nephrite did a quick count, "About an hour, I'd guess..."

Jupiter let out a startled squawk, "What! So long! Why the hell didn't you wake me? And what the hell are we waiting for? We have to catch up to the others! Come on!"

She grabbed Venus' arm and dragged her off westward. Nephrite followed after a small beat, shaking his head and bemusement and hoping she was going in the right direction. Malachite followed a step behind, not at all surprised by Jupiter's impulsive behaviour.

Jupiter and Venus shared the story of their battles as they walked several steps ahead of Malachite and Nephrite. The two generals quietly discussed their own part in the proceedings, keeping the conversation light and friendly.

It wasn't long before the four of them spied a figure dressed in red, stalking towards them, her ire practically visible even from a distance.

"Mars!" cried Venus, waving with her good arm, feeling her heart lift to see Jadeite not four steps behind her friend.

Upon seeing them, Mars paused, violet eyes wide as she came to a realisation, before spinning to face Jadeite, "Why didn't you tell I was going the wrong way?" she demanded hotly.

Jadeite smiled easily at her, not at all perturbed by her ire, "I thought you wanted to find the girls?"

Mars let out a huff of irritation before turning to her team mates, "Are you both alright?" she asked as they reached her.

Jupiter smiled exhaustedly, "A little banged up but mostly whole and hearty."

Venus nodded, "Same. You?"

Mars snorted, "I'm fine."

Malachite and Nephrite reached them, and a delighted Jadeite greeted them both with a manly hug.

Mars spoke over their greetings as if they weren't there; "Let's get going. Mercury and Zoisite can't be far away, if the pattern holds."

* * *

Serena moved swiftly to the gate, her white outfit shining in the grey light. The sentries on the gate saw her, she heard them sound the alarm, but ignored it for the moment, instead concentrating fully on the gate and the magic she was pushing into her legs and feet. She accelerated towards the gate, dodging several black magic projectiles from the soldiers on the walls, and a mere metre from the wall leapt high into the air, the magic in her legs glowing it was so dense. She snapped out one foot, impacting the gate with a sonorous boom, and the gate shuddered back on its hinges. Using her momentum gathered by the run, Serena spun before she landed and hit out with her other leg, and the gate imploded inwards with a crash, splinters of its dense wood flying everywhere. Serena didn't pause, but dived into the huge cloud of dark dust created by her dynamic entry and caught the arm of a startled guard, and before it could react, swung him around, letting go at just the right moment for the greenish humanoid to fly into another nearby guard. Neither moved once they were down.

Another creature came at her from her left, but was intercepted by a sharp jab and kick from Luna as the Agent moved to stand beside her princess, eyes narrow.

Serena couldn't help but throw a grin at her, eyes alight with adrenaline, "Whaddya wanna bet that I can get more of them than you?"

Luna's eyes narrowed further, "Is that a challenge, princess?"

Serena smiled widely, keeping her expression gleeful, "Yep!"

Luna sighed, and shook her head, but a smile twitched the corner of her mouth, and in a split second she was off, charging several of the approaching monsters with a shout of "You're on, Princess! Hiyah!" she lashed out with impressive speed.

Serena wasted no time in doing the same. She swept her left foot under the nearest monster- a tri-legged _thing_ that squawked in surprise as it lost its balance. Before it hit the ground she punched hard from a kneeling position, a powerful uppercut laced with light magic shattered the creature before it could even try to recover. Its dust had barely begun to settle before she engaged her next foe.

There was no way she was letting Luna win their bet.

* * *

Venus watched Mars' irritated strut ahead of her, amused by the fire maiden's stubborn (and completely transparent) ire. Jadeite followed a step or two behind her, chatting amiably with his two male friends, and being generally agreeable. Venus grinned outright as she realised what he was doing; deliberately making Mars madder by being nicer than he needed to and giving her no reason to be angry with him. Of course, Mars being Mars, this made her angrier.

Malachite noticed too. He nudged her a little, and glanced at the red scout meaningfully before looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled at him and shook her head, silently telling him not to bother with it. They would work themselves out. Mars wouldn't be Mars if she didn't fly off the handle every now and then. She was a passionate person.

"Oh, my…." Gasped Jupiter, off to her left a little, as she came over a rise.

Venus stepped up beside her and beheld an awesome sight. The ground below them was white, shining even in the grey half light that seemed to permeate the Negaverse.

Ice. Venus realised, it was all ice. It covered every surface, every rock.

"Look at that!" breathed Nephrite in amazement, staring across the expanse, "I've never seen anything like this here."

"Mercury." Stated Malachite quietly.

Mars nodded, "It must be. But where is she?"

Venus was scanning the area, trying to distinguish between the ice and other objects when she saw something that made her blood run cold. Without a word she sped off, leaving her companions to cry out and chase after her.

Down the icy slope she tore, skidding and slipping on icy ground, before leaping over rocks and fissures, accelerating towards the tower of ice she could see in the distance. When she felt she was close enough she began to call for the little blunette.

"Mercury? Mercury?"

Her voice echoed off the ice around her eerily. She stopped turning slowly on the spot, listening hard, before calling again. Around her the others were spreading out and doing the same.

No response. Venus moved towards the pillar of ice, straining her eyes to see anything that wasn't plain, icy white.

There!

"Here!" she called to the others, "Oh my stars, _Here!" _

She skidded to a stop, kneeling beside the prone form of Mercury, "Mercury?" She called, shaking her friend, "Mercury, wake up!"

Jupiter, a cooler head in a crisis, leaned over and checked in Mercury was breathing.

"She's breathing fine, and her injuries don't seem too great. Must be exhausted." The thunder scout announced.

Mars knelt on the other side of the blue scout, frowning, "I don't understand, where is Zoisiste? He would never have left her to fight alone." She asked, gently brushing Mercury's hair out of her face.

"Here." Malachite spoke, his usually clipped, cool tone eclipsed by horror.

The girls turned to stare at the pillar of ice. At its base the three generals stood, peering up at it, and at the figure encased within it. Zoisite's entire front was stained an awful red, and his eyes were shut, his face deathly pale.

The girls gasped, horrified.

"Is he…?" Mars asked, clutching Mercury's hand.

Jadeite peered in at his friend, heart heavy. "I can't tell. Neph? Mal?"

His older friends shook their heads, no, they didn't know either.

Venus shared a helpless look with Jupiter and Mars.

"What do we do now?"

* * *

Serena ducked a punch and swept out her left leg, balancing on her hands as she shifted to kick with her right leg as well. Then she was up, moving under a punch, into the attackers guard and blasting him away with an elbow to his face- or what she guessed was his face- it was hard to tell.

A blow glanced off her shoulder and she turned to meet her next attacker, only to find a certain raven-haired Lunar Agent had taken care of it and was calmly stepping over the remains to her next victim.

Serena couldn't help but grin. She had envied Luna and Artemis a little, on the Moon. Their lives had seemed so exciting, a thrilling adventure, while she had had to stay at court mostly, being the dutiful daughter she was. She hadn't known what an adrenalin filled life would be like, but now… now here she was, fighting alongside Luna on a mission. Her mother would have had a heart attack.

But times had changed, she reflected, blocking a punch with a side sweep of her arm and using a swift uppercut to the jaw to send her green, barbed opponent reeling. She blasted with a glowing gold burst of power - destructive magic, fire based, rather like the Mars Fireball.

Luna blinked at her from across the way a little, "When did you master fire magic?"

"When Mars started threatening to fry me."

Luna huffed, "Magic is cheating."

Serena rolled her eyes, "and using the Nine Lives Powers isn't?"

Luna snorted, "As if I'd waste my lives on _this_." As if to punctuate her words, she finished a monster with a powerful roundhouse kick.

Serena snorted, "Well, I'm going to waste my power on this, I want this _finished!" _

She leapt back, away from the throng of monsters crowding her and her ally, and summoned the sceptre,

"Moon Sceptre, Annihilation!" she cried, swinging it in a wide arc. Light burst from the crescent moon at the tip of the silver, gold and copper wand, hanging in the air for an instant before blasting towards the mass of monsters, growing ever bigger and brighter as it moved until it was a huge wave of heat and light at the moment of impact.

Luna ducked as the wave passed over her, leaving her unharmed. She had to shield her eyes from the dust and debris the attack kicked up, and lean against the wind it generated. When the attack had passed, silence reigned, and she blinked across in the general direction of her princess. That had been a powerful attack, more so than she had ever seen before. Was there no end to the girl's powers?

Serena was panting slightly, she noted as the dust finally cleared, and looked a little weary in her stance – the way she was planting her feet had a bracing quality to it.

"Are you alright?" she asked the princess.

Serena nodded, "I'm fine. At least, I will be in a minute."

Luna nodded and turned to the devastation left by the annihilation attack. The crystals had survived of course; it would take something much more subtle to unseat them.

"Let's get rid of these," she suggested over her shoulder, "then we can rejoin the others."

Serena was nodding and moving to follow her when a spike of pain shot through her head. She let out a surprised squeak and clutched at her head, falling to her knees as a familiar feeling washed over her.

She gave a pained cry that had Luna wheeling to face her and hurrying back to her side. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe. There was a pounding in her head, and all at once she was somewhere else, watching through Mercury's eyes as the blue scout battled. Upon seeing what happened to Zoisite, Serena felt her heart constrict.

"What is it? Asked Luna, "What's going on?"

"It's Mercury." Serena managed through gritted teeth, still watching as Mercury defeated the monster she was fighting. Then the vision faded into darkness, leaving Serena gasping on the ground, cheeks wet.

"What happened?" Luna asked sharply. Mercury was her favourite scout, the thought of anything happening to her filled her with dread.

Serena was shaking her head and didn't seem to hear her, "Why did I see that? How is that even possible?"

Luna pursed her lips, crouching beside the girl. "This has happened before, hasn't it?"

Serena coughed and straightened, "Ages ago, yeah. Back when this was beginning, it was how I knew something was wrong. It hasn't happened in months."

"Amy is hurt, though?"

"Yeah, and Zoisite is-" Serena broke off, choked by both her own emotions, not to mention the backlash she was feeling from Amy.

Luna's face fell, "Can you help them?"

Serena took a breath, "Yes, I think so. But I'll have to go now. Can you deal with the crystals?"

Luna nodded, "Ill regroup with the others as soon as possible. You go, and _be careful_."

Serena hugged her, "_You _be careful, I don't know what Artemis would do to me if I left you to be hurt."

Luna chuckled, "Ditto Endymion. But before that, here."

She waved a hand and the little bracelet on Serena's wrist let out a metallic crack and fell off. Serena blinked down at it in astonishment.

"I'm sorry." Luna said quietly, "I reacted like you were still the girl-child princess you were on the moon – not that you were as innocent as you seemed, by the looks of it." She cast the Lunar Agent outfit an acerbic glance. Serena had the grace to look chagrined.

"I think I can trust you to take care of yourself now." Luna continued, before shooting the suddenly buoyant teen a warning glance, "I would hate to be proven wrong, princess."

Serena grinned and was gone, leaping away with Sailor Speed. Luna turned to the crystals with a sigh. She moved over to one, placed a hand on its dark, crystalline surface and muttered the spell that would take it apart from the inside out. It took a lot of concentration to destroy crystals like this. Luna went over the theory in her mind even as she moved to the next crystal – you had to be careful not to let them implode or explode when you broke them, or you could be seriously hurt. Destroying their inner matrix with the web of white power severed the connection the crystal had with reality, and disintegrated it. It took a lot of power to push into the matrix of the crystal, it's very make up, and she knew, even after two crystals, that she's be exhausted later. She stepped back, watching as the dark light it gave off faded, before the entire thing seemed to collapse in on itself, falling in a black waterfall of dust at her feet.

With a satisfied sigh, she moved to the next one.

* * *

Endymion was weary of the constant travel and worry. He wanted all his allies, including Serena, with him, in his protection, such as it was. And he wanted it now. He was sick of worrying about them.

They plodded along the flat road at a steady pace, but a lot slower than what Endymion was capable of. He had never really thought about the advantages his magical inheritance as Prince of Earth had given him, but it was becoming obvious he was at an advantage here. His stamina, for one thing, was much higher than the others present. Even for those ordinary humans that were fairly fit like Daisuke and Hayate, this continuous slog was wearing.

Slowly, the horizon approached in the form of a small rise. When they reached the top of the rise Endymion paused, staring at the gigantic, sprawling, black stone citadel. Its many towers rose towards the grey sky, and its many layers of fortress walls and buttresses gave it the impression of being more of a city than a citadel. Around its outer edges there were some smaller dwellings, scattered around in a haphazard way. The whole place was permeated with an air of despair and Endymion shuddered.

"Oh… wow…." Murmured Molly, open mouthed and staring bleakly.

Grandpa Hino – Endymion reminded himself to ask the man's real name – looked positively sick. "This place is evil. Pure evil." He said softly, shuddering.

Endymion had to agree, but swallowed his bile and pushed on.

"Let's move, quickly now," he ordered, "The last thing we need is to be spotted before we make it to the gate, which, I'm guessing, is that, er,_ thing_ over there."

He gestured to the twin spikes that cut into the sky like knives. Both were several stories taller than the towers around them and they seemed to give off a dark aura that had him quaking a little. Strange black light that emanated from the tops of each, swirling around the pike at the pinnacle of each before stretching towards the opposite tower, not quite meeting in the middle, but close enough that Endymion could easily imagine it meeting, and stretching into a gateway of sorts. A portal to another world. Their world.

"I'd say you were guessing right." Grandpa Hino murmured before peering worriedly behind them.

Endymion too glanced behind. There was no sign of the girls or the generals. Or Serena and Luna. He glanced at Artemis to see him peering back too, a worried frown on his face.

Artemis caught his glance and offered him a feline grin, "It's hard when the woman in the relationship also tends to wear the pants of the relationship, so to speak." The long haired cat man commented with a conspiratorial grin.

Endymion couldn't help but smile at the pale man.

* * *

Mercury couldn't find the strength to speak to the girls when she woke, just looked at them with an expression that was as lost and bereft as they had ever seen. She stayed on the ground, shaking her head mutely when Jupiter asked if she could stand. She steadfastly ignored the tears on Jupiter and Venus' faces. Mars was being stoic, she could tell, and ignored that as well. She also tried to ignore the white, jagged pillar of ice a few meters away that she had formed around her lover too – but that was impossible. Cryogenically frozen, that annoying, logical and unemotional part of her mind whispered, frozen until he can be healed.

But the only person with that kind of power was currently dealing with the Dark Crystals, and wouldn't know about this for some time. By then the tenuous hold Mercury had over her power – keeping the ice frozen – would have run out and Zoisite would be truly gone.

It was simply a matter of time. She could feel what little strength she had left waning.

She spared a moment's thought for the three brothers that were standing near the pillar- they would feel this just as keenly as her. She tried to find the words to tell them that although he was still alive now, it would not last, they should say goodbye, but she couldn't make herself form the words.

So she sat, and waited. The girls stood by her, exchanging lost glances, and the Generals looked between her and the pillar, unnerved by the genuis' lack of ideas, lack of anything.

Mercury felt the last of her strength ebb away, and shut her eyes, not wanting to see it.

There was a crack, loud and startling in the stillness, and the others started, turning to the pillar of ice. A large fissure had opened in its crystalline surface, stretching from the very top to the bottom.

"What's going on? Mercury?" demanded Malachite, and it was only because she knew him so well that she heard the note of fear in his voice.

Mercury didn't answer, couldn't answer, and just continued to stare numbly down at the ice beneath her knees. Her vision was blurring – she had poured everything she had into maintaining that pillar.

She, out of all of them was most surprised when a yellow gold light shone from inside the crystal, coalescing and becoming a blinding ray of light that shot out in all directions for a single second before fading, just as the ice pillar collapsed completely, shattering into a brilliant white waterfall of icy particles.

"Phew." A familiar voice said. "Made it!"

Serena staggered into view on her left, yellow crystal clutched in one hand, and eyes on the pillar. Mercury looked then, because is Serena –_Serenity - _was here then –

Zoisite was getting to his feet, shaking ice crystals from his face and uniform, and greeting his brothers in a distracted manner. His eyes roamed the group until they found her, still on the ground.

"Mercury!" he cried, dashing to her side, "Are you alright?"

Mercury couldn't find a way to make her vocal cords work, so she merely managed to nod and leaned into his shoulder when he wrapped his arms around her. She knew she shouldn't be crying – people were supposed to cry when they were sad, drat it, not when they were happy! But she could not stop the flow of tears. Zoisite murmured comforting words, apologising for frightening her again and again, and she resolved to never tell him how close he had come to being truly gone.

Serena let them have their moment, turning to the others, "Stand still for a minute would you all?"

The yellow light of the healing Rainbow Crystal engulfed them one by one, even healing tears in their uniforms as it passed. She healed Mercury last, as the blue scout and Zoisite got their feet.

"Not that I'm complaining," Nephrite addressed Serena, absentmindedly tugging at his repaired uniform, "but how and why are you here? I thought you were after the Dark Crystals?"

Serena smiled a trifle sheepishly, "I left the crystals to Luna. She said she could handle them."

No one missed the fact that she didn't answer the first part of the general's question, but no one pushed for an answer yet.

"We should really catch up with the others." Serena added, "If you all feel up to running?"

It was a rhetorical question – she knew that they were fighting fit, if a little tired. She had healed them herself, after all.

Mars rolled her eyes at her friend before grabbing Jadeite's arm and pulling him in to a swift run, "Come on then!"

Jadeite staggered a little, slightly stunned, but quickly fell into pace beside her, matching her stride for stride as they ate up the dark ground. Behind them, the others paired off as well, leaving Serena to bring up the rear with a rueful smile, her only thanks being the look on Amy's face when she had realised Zoisite was not in fact, dying or dead.

And of course, being who she was, she could have outraced them all easily, but again that ugly fear rose in her of their reactions when they discovered not only was she Sailor Moon, but Serenity as well, and had been lying to their faces for months. One of her identities, she felt sure they would be glad to know of – wasn't Mercury proof of that? The other – well, Sailor Moon had deliberately been antagonistic. Mars especially wasn't going to take it well.

She sighed and settled into the mindless rhythm of the running.

* * *

Endymion and the others were moving as quietly as possible, crossing a massive courtyard, only blocks from the twin, jagged towers that held the gate home strung between them. The courtyard was paved, black stone, like the road they had travelled, and on all four sides building like structures rose at least three stories. There was three entrances to the area, one they had used from the north, and two from the south end, one in each corner. It was to the left one they were heading when Mrs Tsukino let out a gasp – "Look up!" she hissed, eyes wide, clutching her son to her side.

Endymion looked up and felt his heart skip a beat. Crouched all around the rim of buildings, were hunched figures, silhouetted against the half light of the sky. Figures that definitely had not been there the last time he glanced up. At least fifty of them, every shape and size. Some snake-like, some more quadruped shaped. As they watched, the monsters dropped down to land easily on the cold, hard ground of the square, their claws and tails clashing on the stone.

Endymion hissed an order, "Into the corner, against the buildings!" he needed them all somewhere defendable, as in shelter as possible.

The monsters charged, letting out their war cries in such a way as to make Dr Mizuno shriek in fright.

"Where the hell did these guys come from?" Artemis snarled, cutting down two monsters the size and shape of a large dog with a single sweeping arc of his blade.

To his right, Endymion side-stepped a lunge from an ape-like creature with extendable arms and hacked down with his blade as a fist sailed past his nose, "Hell if I know!" he responded, lashing out with a kick to send the screaming ape-thing sprawling and give him room to meet the next attack.

They were backed into the corner now, the civilians behind them. In front of them stood no less than fifty more monsters.

"Mars Fire Scroll!" the flash of old man Hino's scrolls flashed repeatedly over their heads as he did his best to help. Hayate had picked up a dropped weapon from one of the defeated humanoid monsters and was using to fight off any who got through the defensive tactics of Endymion and Artemis.

"Really could do with some scout backup right about now." Artemis muttered, blocking with his sword before jabbing downwards, cutting through the head of a wolf-beast.

Endymion found no time in which to agree, but merely grunted an acknowledgement as he dealt simultaneously with three foes.

He ducked, side stepped and dealt two more killing blows before he had a chance to breathe, and then there was more of them. Strangely enough, the majority of the monsters seemed to be hanging back, or at least, waiting their turn.

"Artemis," he panted when he could gulp a full lungful of air, "they're waiting for something."

"I see them." Artemis growled, "Just concentrate on those in front of you."

Above the clamour of the skirmish, and the frightened noises made by those he was protecting, Endymion heard a deep, guttural rumble.

He risked a glance at Artemis, "What the hell-?"

The noise came again, louder this time, and several of the smaller monsters surrounding them squeaked and scattered. Endymion dealt with another ape-thing and something that looked suspiciously like his old science teacher before it came again and the last of the monsters ran, disappearing into the shadows of the large courtyard where they had been ambushed not minutes ago.

This time, the noise was louder, and it shook the ground beneath his feet. He shot a worried glance at Artemis, who looked as flummoxed as he has the last of the monster turned tail and fled.

"So…" Hayate asked, panting, "What makes the bad guys run away?"

"You mean besides the Sailor Scouts?" Artemis asked, wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve, "A bigger bad guy."

Hayate grunted, "Was afraid o' tha'." He muttered.

Endymion wiped sweat from his eyes and scanned the area in front of them, before turning the group huddled behind him, "If this goes bad, pair up, and head towards the gate. We'll meet there. Try not to be seen." It was the last thing he wanted to do, leave the civiliians without a guard, but it was better than staying together. This way, at least, some of them might survive.

He received frightened nods of assent and turned back to face the empty space before him as the noise sounded again and the ground shook. He shifted his grip on his sword and widened his stance, trying to be ready for anything.

"That doesn't sound good." Luna noted, landing silently in front of him, having jumped down from one of the structures that passed for a building here, not unlike the monsters not five minutes previously.

"Luna!" Artemis was delighted to see her, and kissed her quickly, but Endymion frowned, "Where's Serena?" he demanded hurriedly.

"It's alright, Prince, she went back to help the scouts. Mercury and Zoisite, I think. They won't be far behind." Luna soothed.

Endymion was not wholly reassured, but resolved to count to one hundred before sending out a search party. He listened worriedly as Luna reassured Dr Mizuno as well.

This time the noise, when it came, was deafening and the ground shook enough to knock several of them off their feet. The ground in the centre of the large, black courtyard cracked, spitting black dust into the air. The ground pulsed hugely, lifting up in a mound before sinking again, accompanied by that terrible, feral roar.

"What is that?" demanded Molly, panic making her voice squeak.

The roar came again, and this time the ground split, exploding upwards in a shower of rocks and dust. Endymion flung himself over Sam as the cobble stones rained down on them, wincing as one impacted his shoulder blade with a sharp pain.

There was a grunt beside him and he saw Andrew stagger back from where he had been protecting Reika, eyes swirling. Reika shrieked and grabbed him, and Endymion saw the blood on his friends head. His stomach dropped – Andrew had been hit with a rock.

But he had no time to help, as he turned back to what now stood in the centre of the courtyard, having risen out of the hole it had created.

Standing easily three stories tall, a mass of writhing tentacles, it was Beryl, and wrapped around her in a convoluted lovers embrace was some sort of plant, it's twisted, glistening black tentacles reminding him of an octopus. At her feet was what could only be described as a coffin, large, black, crystalline in nature, and vaguely oblong in form, it seemed to emanate black light and darkness at once. And in that black, shining coffin…

The lid lifted on its own accord, the noise from its hinge somehow louder than the still falling rubble, revealing its occupant. Above it, Beryl smirked at him, cherry lips twisting evilly. The very sight of it made him fill with dread, want to throw up, want to run away and want to kill her all at once.

"Metallia." He gasped.

* * *

**AN:*hides*I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! **

**Thanks for reading, as always. Your support and all the needling that some of you have been doing have been great to keep me thinking about this story. Hopefully I'm over my slump with it – I'm certainly looking forwards to writing the next arc now that this one is almost over. Hope this was worth the wait? **

**Preview (look, the next chapter is in progress! Yay!): **

"_It's the scouts!" Molly cried, delighted, "We're saved!" _

_Endymion looked for the one person he wanted to see most, but couldn't find her amongst the shadows. He glanced at Luna. She rose an eyebrow and gave a tiny shrug. _

"_Saved, little human?" Beryl's voice echoed down to them from her perch on high, "Saved? Oh, no, I don't think so." _


End file.
